Treasures: Visible & Invisible

by Theresa Linden, Susan Peek, Antony Barone Kolenc

Treasures: Visible and Invisible is a collection of short stories by eight CatholicTeenBooks.com authors.

A teen boy sets out to save a friend from pagan druids, but maybe he’s the one who needs saving.

Between an unearthed treasure and a visit from Heaven, a young monk is in for the surprise of his life!

A young girl seeks a mysterious treasure that holds the key to granting a nun's dying wish.

Honora is desperate—then a peculiar clover and a mysterious young man change everything.

William’s weekend job is a little gift from heaven, but now his family needs a real miracle.

When threatened by mobsters, Grace receives help from a surprising source.

Alone and afraid, a young girl finds friendship in a stranger. But could this boy be trouble?

Kyle was determined to save the precious relic--but now his whole family is in danger.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Catholic

259 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2021

About the author

Raised in a military family, Theresa Linden developed strong patriotism and a sense of adventure. She began writing in grade school and her passion for writing has never waned. Love for faith, family, and freedom inspired her to write the Chasing Liberty trilogy, a dystopian story about a future that is sadly becoming a reality.
She is also the author of award-winning Roland West, Loner and Battle For His Soul, two books in the West Brothers series of Catholic teen fiction; Tortured Soul, a purgatory soul story; and the children's Armor of God series. A member of the Catholic Writers Guild and Catholic Teen Books, she lives with her family in northeast Ohio.

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent Anthology from the authors collective Catholic Teen Books. A top notch collection of stories. Full review to post closer to publication date.
...
This is the third collection from the authors of Catholic Teen Books. It was an inspiring read. Some stories are of miracles, and others about change. Two contributors from the previous collection did not contribute and two new ones have joined the fray. In this collection are8 stories from the 14 authors who currently compose the collective. My first thought was wow! What an amazing collection of stories around Saint Patrick! I am aware that not everyone likes short stories, but I love them, and this collection is amazing! Short stories are a different art form than novels, and not all novelists have mastered the craft. For a short story to be good, the writing needs to be tighter, cleaner and crisper. And each of the 8 in this collection is extremely well written. One of the things I normally love about reading anthologies is discovering new authors. That was not the case this time. I have read books by all but one of the contributors and had very high expectations for this collection. I loved the previous two anthologies Secrets Visible & Invisible and Gifts Visible & Invisible from the authors at Catholic Teen Books.

The contributors in this volume are:
Theresa Linden
Susan Peek
Antony Barone Kolenc
Amanda Lauer
Carolyn Astfalk
Leslea Wahl
T. M. Gaouette
Corinna Turner

In this collection we have one short story from each of the contributors. Some contain characters you may encounter in novels by the authors, that are already in print or have plans to be soon. Some are characters that are like old friends that we will be visiting again. And others are people we are just meeting for the first time. I have read this anthology once and I have listened to it a second time, and already plan to read it again closer to the feast of Saint Patrick. I said it last time and I state it again, this is one of the best anthologies I have ever encountered containing Catholic or Christian fiction!

The stories are:
Treasure In The Bogs - Theresa Linden
A Single Day . . . Or Not - Susan Peek
Lucy And The Hidden Clover - Antony Barone Kolenc
Lucky And Blessed - Amanda Lauer
Danke - Carolyn Astfalk
Grace Among Gangsters - Leslea Wahl
In Mouth Of Friend And Stranger - T. M. Gaouette
The Underappreciated Virtues Of Green-Fingered Monsters - Corinna Turner

As I have mentioned, this is a great collection of short stories. I really could not pick a favorite or least favorite from the collection. Each of the stories are well written. And I greatly enjoyed each of them. In the collection, we encounter 3 Historical Fiction stories, a Dystopian, and 3 Contemporary, and one involving time travel or what some would consider Science Fiction. There is a story classified as Historical that I consider more a contemporary. Though I might argue that the last is Science Fiction and not Dystopian, or at least this story, but the world it is set in is definitely Dystopian. And here is a summary of each story.

Treasure In The Bogs

A wonderful retelling of the life of Saint Patrick. Drawing from his own writings, and the legends surrounding this saint. Linden has written a fantastic version. An excellent way to kick off the collection.

A Single Day . . . Or Not

A story adapted from an Irish legend. An unnamed monk given a name. A name that means forgotten. Susan Peek is known for her exceptional historical fiction. For bringing the lives of lesser known saints to life. And she has done so wonderfully yet again.

Lucy And The Hidden Clover

This story is set in the world we first encountered in Shadow in the Dark and in it Antony Barone Kolenc surprises us yet again. The novel is the first in the Harwood Mysteries. And this short story has a mystery of its own. A mystery of a secret, a stone, and lives given and transformed by God.

Lucky And Blessed

Amanda Lauer is the only contributor whose works I am unfamiliar with. But this story is so well written that even though Laurer writes primarily in a genre I tend not to read I am itching to pick up one of her books. I have read a lot of non-fiction set during the time period of this story over the last few years. Many biographies and histories. This story could easily be from real life. And if a novel with these characters is published, I will be picking it up the day it is available.

Danke

Again in this story we encounter characters from what is a work in progress. The story is set in historical Johnstown Pennsylvania. A few years before the great flood. The mysterious Shamrock stone again makes an appearance and changes hands. Legends around the stone are growing. And this story adds to them. A brother, a family, a stranger, and the fear of scarlet fever.

Grace Among Gangsters

The characters in this story also appear in the novel A Summer to Treasure. This is a story about a family, legends about the treasure of the Sultana, the DiGiovanni crime family in Kansas City, and archeologist that end up getting more than they bargained for.

In Mouth Of Friend And Stranger

Saints or angels in disguise. That is my thought upon rereading this story. This story fits in a long history of Saints appearing and helping someone in great need. It is masterfully written. The story is very moving. To be honest I would love to know more of both Pat's and Hannah's stories. It is well written and keeps your attention. I love the use of St Patrick's Lorica. I love where Gaouette’s writings are going. They have more edge. It is masterfully written and keeps your attention. An excellent story.

The Underappreciated Virtues Of Green-Fingered Monsters

This story gives us a very different look at a leader of a sorting facility. It gives us new insights into Kyle, Margaret and Bane. But even if you have not read any of the I am Margaret stories this is a well crafted short story with a few twists and surprises.

I will state that for fans of the authors in this collection, you need to pick this book up to read their contribution, of the pieces that expands their universe you are already familiar with. For readers who love excellent short stories, this collection is also for you. If you want some great reads that are clean Catholic\Christian fiction focused around the Saint Patrick and a stone shamrock, this is the book for you.

This anthology is amazing! And I can only hope that Catholic Teen Books releases another collection soon. I cannot imagine what they would come up with in a collection focused on Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. If you love great short stories you owe it to yourself to give this collection a try!

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books anthologies from Catholic Teen Books, and reviews of books from many of the contribtors.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Leslea Wahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am one of the contributing authors of this anthology. Working with other CatholicTeenBooks.com authors during this project was such a joy. This collection of fictional short stories, connected through a relic of Saint Patrick, makes a wonderful gift. It's a wonderful way for the reader to get a taste of 8 different authors and their unique writing styles.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight short stories combine to form Treasures: Visible & Invisible, the third volume of the Visible & Invisible anthology series from CatholicTeenBooks.com. Each story in this volume celebrates St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, in its own unique and engaging way.

One charming fictional object appearing in each story is a clover-shaped stone that holds special meaning. Readers meet a modern runaway, a young lady of aristocracy, a family battling a contagious disease, and other intriguing characters who encounter the stone and experience its influence.

I enjoyed the virtual ride through the centuries and into a dystopian future in this satisfying collection of teen/YA fiction honoring in a most creative way the saint whose feast day is March 17th.

As a former contributor to previous volumes, I received an ARC of this book. I did not participate in any way in the production of this volume. The stories were as much a pleasant surprise to me as they will be to other readers. This is my honest review.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treasures: Visible and Invisible is a brand-new collection of Catholic short stories from a variety of authors and genres, all centering on St. Patrick. In each story, regardless of setting, a shamrock-shaped stone plays an important role. Included here are eight stories, presented in chronological order based on setting:

"Treasure in the Bogs" by Theresa Linden tells of the spiritual coming of age of a young man named Magonus Saccatus in 4th century Ireland, and how Magonus comes to use the shamrock as a symbol of the trinity when explaining his faith to others.

"A Single Day... Or Not" by Susan Peek follows Brother Dearmad, a 16-year-old monk living several centuries after St. Patrick who wishes he could speed up his path to holiness.

"Lucy and the Hidden Clover" by Antony Barone Kolenc is set in 12th century England, where a young girl works to unearth the treasure that will fulfill an elderly nun's dying wish in a surprising way.

"Lucky and Blessed" by Amanda Lauer takes place in 1540 in England and brings together Honora, the sixteen-year-old daughter of a baron who finds herself in desperate circumstances and 18-year-old Ambrose, who has recently fled during the dissolution of the monastery where he lived.

"Danke" by Carolyn Astfalk jumps ahead to 19th century Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where we meet William and his large Irish Catholic family, the youngest member of which is very ill with scarlet fever. William needs a miracle for his family, but he's not sure his weekend job at a lake club will be enough help.

"Grace Among Gangsters" by Leslea Wahl is set in the Midwest in the present day, when three teens visit their grandmother and hear for the first time a story from her childhood about a close encounter with mobsters and a surprising source of help.

"In Mouth of Friend and Stranger" by T.M. Gaouette takes place around the year 2000 in London. When Hannah runs away from a dangerous family situation and finds herself on the street, she is befriended by a kind young man named Pat who makes it his mission to see that she finds a safe place to stay.

"The Underappreciated Virtues of Green-Fingered Monsters" by Corinna Turner follows Kyle through a futuristic England in which faith is outlawed and to practice Catholicism or consider the priesthood is a matter of life and death.
Each story is accompanied by an author's note and a brief author bio. Several of the stories feature characters who appear in full-length works of their own.

I was completely blown away by how good every single one of these stories is. Most of the time, collections of stories will have highs and lows, stories that work really well and others that don't quite accomplish their goals. This collection, however, is consistently excellent from beginning to end. Every story is engaging. Genres that I typically don't enjoy drew me in anyway, and each of the characters is so memorable I'm still thinking about them weeks later. I loved that each story had the common element of the stone, and of St. Patrick's presence either physically or spiritually, but that each author did such different things with these central themes.

There is also something so comforting about reading an entire book that aligns with Catholic teaching. I didn't really appreciate how much my guard is often up when I'm reading mainstream fiction until I felt myself relax into the world of these stories. It was so rewarding to be able to settle in fully and trust that the authors were never going to lead me into offensive or blatantly anti-Catholic content. I had a personal affinity for this collection, too, I think, because my father's family is Irish and many of these characters had experiences similar to those I imagine my ancestors must have gone through.

I loved this book so much that I immediately went on Amazon and downloaded the Kindle editions of the two previous collections Catholic Teen Books has published: Secrets: Visible and Invisible and Gifts: Visible & Invisible. I also started making a list of other titles I want to read by these authors. I have mistakenly been of the opinion that Catholic fiction would somehow be boringly pious or otherwise saccharine, and this collection has opened my eyes to all that I have been missing in the world of YA Catholic writing. I also feel like I want to take another crack at Catholic fiction writing myself and see if there might be room for me in that world.

All Catholic readers, adults and teens, and even younger kids who are ready for a bit more sophisticated content, need books like this one on their shelves and in their reading lives. I truly cannot say enough good things about this book. There are not many new books I would allow my kids to read because either the content is objectionable or the quality is poor. This book I will absolutely allow - and definitely even encourage - my kids to read when they reach the target age range.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

[Abby (Reader of Clean Books)]

Just taking a break on this. It's not really what I'm feeling rn lol

[Amanda Lauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the theme of this book, with a relic from St. Patrick being passed down through the generations. Eight authors teamed up to create this anthology and each story is so unique and intriguing. If you want to try reading stories in genres different from what you normally read, this book is for you, there's everything from historical fiction to science fiction. Treasures: Visible & Invisible is a great read for teens through adults.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book, with a special St. Patrick theme throughout each story!

You will not be disappointed to read these stories by Catholic authors. Some of the stories have characters from the authors’ other books.

[Grace Donahue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much Amanda Lauer for sending me a complimentary copy of Treasures: Visible & Invisible! I was happy to read and receive this book. My review of this book is entirely my own. Wow, wow, I absolutely loved Treasures: Visible & Invisible, and it is now one of my favorite books!!! A marvelous Catholic author wrote each story in the book with different genres and styles. The entire book was based around St Patrick, and a shamrock relic from him passed on from generation to generation.

All of the stories are so great that it's hard for me to pick a favorite, but if I had to, they would be Lucy and the Hidden Clover by Antony B. Kolenc, Lucky and Blessed by Amanda Lauer, and In Mouth of Friend and Stranger by T. M. Gaouette. In the first in 12th century England, a young girl who lives at the convent wishes to help a dying nun and find a mysterious clover that will bring the nun peace before she dies. This short story was well written and engaging, and I will read more books from Antony B. Kolenc. The 2nd book that I loved was about a young woman who had a hard decision to make but felt like she had no choices. Lucky and Blessed had some excellent clean romance and explained a lot about when the Catholic church in England became Anglican and how that affected all of the Catholics. In Mouth of Friend and Stranger, a girl runs away from a dad that beats her and is alone and scared when she meets a boy who wants to help her. Out of all the stories, this one engaged me the most, and now I need to know what happens to the two of them after the story ends. I hope T. M. Gaouette writes a novel about these two characters and how their lives changed when they met each other!

All eight of these stories are engaging and exciting to the point that I finished the whole book in two days and will be rereading it! The only thing that I did not love was the cover (even though this cover is the best in the series so far). People shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but they do, and that's how they miss out on incredible stories like this one. I have enjoyed the Visible and Invisible series, so I hope these authors continue making them. If you want to read a new and exciting book with all of the different genres, read Treasures: Visible & Invisible!

Things to Mention: St. Patrick is taken into slavery, and he and all the other slaves are poorly treated. Some pagans worship false gods. A man tries to force a woman to marry him. There is some smoking. Thieves try to burn a house down where children are hiding inside. A girl runs away from an abusive father, but the story starts after she already runs away, so we don't read about the father at all. A girl and a boy run away from some men who are chasing them. There is some fighting and talk of being killed in the last story.

Come check out more of my reviews of clean wholesome books at:
https://www.acatholicgirlreads.com/

[Elkaza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel so bad, but I couldn't give these stories five stars, as I didn't really the writing in these stories. However, I truly loved the concept, how there is a brand-new collection of Catholic short stories from a variety of modern authors, centering around St. Patrick and how he comes to help out people overtime. Its done through through prayers to the saint, and a shamrock-shaped stone that some claim is a relic.

However, my issue is, that it took me a little while to get into most of these stories, and it should never be the case for short stories. Thus, when I did get into them, they were over. There is a few issues with some of the characters like Honora, who I don't believe would have been wandering around all alone. Yet, that is my rational mind.

Anyway, this is a great book for catholic families, and I wished it was around when I was younger. I am so gland that there is finally Catholic Teen Books for catholic teens to read when growing. However, its a little late. My adult mind, is now so wide awake to what's really going on in the world. That reading books are my escape, yet its hard find a good book that wants to send a message of HOPE and FORGIVNRSS, that occurs in the Will of Jesus Christ!

[Alexandria ( Allie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treasures Visible & invisible is yet another amazing anthology by the Catholic teen books authors.
It is based around St. Patrick, so a perfect read for March!
I love the fact that it is, most truly, invisible treasures. It really follows this shamrock shaped rock, which was not man made, and how it went around through all these different people, starting with St. Patrick himself. This “rock” was given to people, and from that, they had little, but big, miracles happen to them.
This book was truly a wonderful read and really inspires me. God comes to us in strange, small ways, but always impacts the most.
Thank you Catholicteenbooks authors for creating this joyful read.

[Sandralena Hanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent group of short stories revolving around a relic from St. Patrick's time. Ancient to modern and even future people that the Irish Saint helps.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this concept! A relic from St. Patrick is found in each shot story. Excellent writers are found in this collection.

[Sarah Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

“An odd-shaped greenish rock lay in his palm, its unusual shape giving him pause. It resembled a three-leaf clover.”
Eight stories are woven together through time by one special rock. A shamrock shaped rock that first finds itself in the hands of St. Patrick eventually becomes a key item in several people’s stories throughout the ages and even into the future. The stories range from saints to regular people just needing a bit of help in their lives.

Treasures: Visible and Invisible is an anthology written by eight separate Catholic authors. I have read a few books by one of the authors, Caroyln Astfalk, and enjoyed them. When I saw this was released in March 2021, I thought it would be a good addition to my religious books for my reading during Lent. I also thought my children would enjoy reading it.

I really enjoyed how the eight stories were all tied together by the shamrock stone. Each story had a different message and took place in a different time period than the others. They are placed in chronological order to show how the rock appeared to people throughout time. While they’re all fiction short stories, some are based on real historical figures. (I love historical fiction.) My favorite story was the futuristic one. It was very dystopian but showed people holding onto their faith through hard times.

I plan to read more books by the authors in Treasures. Several used characters that are in their books or they plan to write books with the characters in it. My children have enjoyed the book so far, too. It’s good for readers in upper elementary and older.

Read more here: https://sarahannecarter.com/treasures...