Freakish Friday

Welcome to Freakish Friday, my Fellow Book Dragons. This week’s Gem is freakish indeed. A fine crystal like substance, it looks as though running water had stopped, see the bubbles? It refracts the light off the bubbles. Hold it in One’s claw and you feel waves of sadness and fear and something like hysteria if you hold it too long. See? I told you, best if you hand it back. Yes, just drop it in the silk purse it came in. I told you it was freakish. This is Gem Maker Jafe Danbury’s “The Other Cheek”.

What happens when a nice young prince finds out the beautiful princess he married, is not a princess at all, but a Harpy, a raging, shrieking, monstrous beastie who steals food and sleep and self? If this were a Grimm’s Faery Tale it would be so, but it’s not. Richie meets Tami and they fall in love, well Richie falls in love. Tami is already in love…with Tami. They are not married very long when Tami begins to change and not for the better.

She is spoiled and self-centered. She wants everything. She wants it all. Rich is a hard working freelance cameraman making a decent living in Hollywood, but he can’t keep up with all of Tami’s demands and one fine day Tami cuts loose. Tami hits Rich. It is the first in a long line of domestic violence acts.

I loved this book. It is honest, not over the top, and real. Female on Male Domestic Violence does happen. Most men do not report it. Whether out of shame, fear of being arrested, losing his children or his job, fear of his spouse’s retaliation, or whatever other factor is involved most men choose to live with it until someone gets hurt or dies. Many times the woman is much smaller than the man. This is not cartoon land where the woman is far larger than her spouse. These women understand the man will not strike back or if he does try to defend himself, she can show officers a bruise or mark and he will be labeled the offender. It happened to a good friend of mine. By the time his 5’5″, 110 lb wife was done, he’d had several broken bones, 3rd degree burns and lost his home, his job and his children. Danbury strikes the nail on the head with this one.

Tami is a Harpy straight from Hell and needs sent back there as soon as possible. Does Richie live through it? Does Tami? Who goes to jail? You’ll have to read it to find out. And you won’t be sorry you did. I would give a copy of this to the guy in your life about to start dating. Maybe to the guy you suspect is in a similar situation. This is for women, too. For every women who has a man she loves in her life! This is Danbury’s debut novel, and I dare say we will be reading much more from him in future, at least I hope so!

Remember, this is the last night to get in on the Karen McQuestion “Dovetail” giveaway over on my Facebook Page! Until tomorrow, I remain, your humble Book Dragon,

Drakon T. Longwitten

I received my copy through a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you to #jefepress and #jafedanbury