"A Complex Paranormal Tale of Love and Deceit"
SEVEN RINGS BINDING is set in 1875, New York City Spurred on by his sister, Nate Blackburn is determined to
expose Libby Claiborne as a fraud in order to keep his
mother's funds firmly in the hands of their rightful owner.
Libby, supposedly has psychic abilities that allow her to
commune with the dearly departed, and Nate's widowed
mother would be easy prey in his estimation. It seems that
Nate has underestimated both his mother and Libby. In person, Libby has quite a different affect on Nate. She
is innocent and lovely, and obviously a pawn of her
grasping stepbrother Clayton. Clayton had been the child of
her father's first wife and had been excluded from her
father's will, in spite of promises made to him. He had
long since been aware of Libby's special abilities and by
committing both her mother and grandmother to a mental
institution he had found a way to force her to earn money
for him. Libby despised these séances and refuses to
mislead Nate's mother. Nate's sister is relentless and Nate teasingly states that
perhaps he should marry the girl to keep their money in the
family. Famous last words, as his dreams are troubled by
the knowledge that Libby is in serious trouble and in need
of him. He follows her cal, into the night, to find her
drugged, half frozen to death, and desperately trying to
make her way to the asylum on foot. She feels that
something is desperately wrong. Arriving at the asylum Nate is appalled by the conditions
and attempts to remove Libby's loved ones. He is refused.
As long as Clayton is head of the family his orders must
stand. Nate offers his hand as the best solution to her
dilemma. He promises to look after her family, as well as
the orphans she has taken into her keeping. Desperate,
Libby accepts. But it is too late for her grandmother. Love begins to blossom between the two as Libby prepares
for her grandmother's funeral. Oddly Libby's grandmother
shows none of the physical realities of being in death's
grasp. Libby realizes that her grandmother has not died,
but is in a coma so deep only magic can save her. Libby has
the power, but her fears run deep. Her family has many
secrets and Clayton found out any of them, he would hold
their lives in his hands once more. Libby wants nothing to do with the magic, but Nate is
enthralled by it. His fascination drives a wedge between
them, and if his own secret is revealed it may drive Libby
away forever. Nate and Libby are caught up in a web that had been spun
even before they were born. Secrets abound in this gripping
tale, many will not be revealed to the final page, but the
threads which bind them together are strong and the reader
will enjoy their triumph as the story winds down to it's
surprise conclusion. SEVEN RINGS binding is a complex tale
of deceit, manipulation, courage, and love which will keep
the reader spell bound.
Copyright © 2001
Original review: RFI West release - May 1, 2001,
ISBN #1586978799
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted October 15, 2001
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