Fire’s Caress by Lani Wendt Young. Pub. OneTree House, 2021

A very readable novel for young adults that will have you compelled to read from beginning to end.

Set in Samoa with the backdrop of a post covid world and heavily involved in Samoan myth and legend and the protection of Samoan cultural life.

Billionaire Marc Gold, confident, not used to being denied, womaniser and a total smartarse, comes to Samoa to build a luxury resort for the super wealthy without giving any thought to the cultural and habitat damage he will cause. While walking in the forest where he will build the resort he is contacted by a beautiful woman who is of the Aitu, a Samoan demon who protect the forests and lakes. He goes missing for 3 days without recollection and when he returns he has a disease that causes him to have a hunger and it slowly covers his body.

Into the story comes Teuila a beautiful Samoan woman who has a strong gift of sculpture and has achieved World wide fame. She has a past of abuse and has been brought up in an orphanage on Samoa. She returns to Samoa to auction her works to support the home in which she was protected and brought up in. She meets Marc Gold who is strongly attracted to her, as she eases the effects of the body disease that he has contracted.

Gold wants to own her and while Teuila is attracted to his wealth she is supicious. These suspicions are confirmed by a now rich childhood friend and martial arts expert Keahi who conflicts with Marc Gold. Enter Bree, Teuila’s agent and the long lost mother and things begin to boil as Marc Gold tries to control Teuila and his behaviour becomes psychopathic.

What nobody knows is that Teuila is controlled by the Aitu and that a major battle is to be fought.

Don’t miss this, it is superb storytelling and although part of the Telesa World series it is a stand alone Novel in it’s own right. There is reference to characters from the Telesa world and the origins of the gifts that Teuila and Keahi have are explained by the connection to Telesa and their common past.

Loves Me Not. How to keep Relationships Safe by Lesley Elliott.

Loves Me Not. How to keep Relationships Safe by Lesley Elliott. Pub. Random House, 2014.

This is not a fictional work but it contains very necessary advice about relationships that no-one ever tells you about. It is for teenagers and it approaches this topic by asking teenagers to ask the question “how do you expect your boyfriend or girlfriend to treat you and how do you treat him or her”?

It deals with Power and Control in relationships, Communication, threats and entitlements, Psychological, Physical and Sexual Abuse and how you should act as a friend if anyone you know is having problems with a partner over one of these topics.

Lesley Elliott gives her observations and advice based on the toxic and tragic relationship between her daughter Sophie and the manipulative and abusive Clayton Weatherston.

Meaningful chapters by School Counsellor Gayna McConnell about Navigating love and by Psychologist Nigel Latta about boys and relationships add valuable experience and advice.

Some of the best advice is given about safety on the Internet especially about how people are different on the net than they are in person and how information put on the net is there forever.

It is the sort of book that I would want my teenagers to read if I had the chance over again. Nigel Latta makes a very important point that “relationships do not get easier as you get older. They change in interesting and unexpected ways.

This book is about recognizing the danger signs. Short and very readible. None of your big academic words. Simple and such good advice.