MS Cindy Vine

Cindy Vine kindly made three of her books available for free, as eBooks, in a promotion at Smashwords back in May, and being a lover of ‘free’ I couldn’t resist the opportunity, especially as I do most of my book reading using my smartphone these days. It took a while for me to get around to reading them (hey! I’m busy you know!) but I wasn’t disappointed when I did.

I read them in the ‘wrong’ order. That is, not in the order they were published, but each is a self-contained story, about different characters, so it’s not a necessity. I started with The Case Of Billy B, then moved on to Stop The World I Want To Pee, then to Not Telling.

All three books, although not directly connected, deal with difficult topics. Billy B is the victim of child abuse, Fenella, in Stop The World, could be described as a slightly reluctant wild child, and Jenny, in Not Telling, is the victim not only of misfortune but also of sex abuse as a child.

So, if you are looking for a cosy, rose-coloured glasses read then these books are not for you. But despite the stories being about the raw side of humanity, Cindy Vine’s writing, and her insight into her characters make them well worth reading.

It would be nice, perhaps, if the world was a place where such cruelty, both directed and random, did not exist, but we’ve a long way to go before we reach that stage, if we ever do. I sometimes find myself wondering how people can behave as they do, when I hear a story of cruelty on the News, particularly when the victims are children. Cindy explores how such things can happen and puts depth into all the characters involved, both good and bad.

I happily recommend Cindy’s books, and thank her for making them available in the way she did. Even though the free promotion is over, you can still purchase the eBooks for only $1.50 at Smashwords.… (mehr)