Some Small Magic

"Keep your eye on things that matter and don't, and learn to know the difference. Most people die every day in some way or another. It's the good ones who only die once."

If you have never read a novel from Billy Coffey, you might just be missing out on one of the most articulate southern gentlemen's artistry with words. You might even call him a true wordsmith, but that down-home humility of Mr. Coffey's is likely to make you think he doesn't recognize his own God-given gift to weave such belivability into these stories, you might forget your reading a fictional novel.

In Some Small Magic by Billy Coffey, he takes readers back to the small-town charm of Mattingly, Virginia and into the heart of a broken young boy named Abel Shifflett, who has found himself at the hands of the school principal once again on the final day of school for getting even with Chris Jones, his nemesis and school bully by feeding him what looked to be a chocolate bar, but was in fact a large dose of laxative. This would put Chris Jones as the butt of jokes to come from here on out, but one that requires that his busy momma Lisa to leave work at the diner to come fetch Abel.

Abel is considered broken by many due to a medical condition that renders his bones to be soft and subject to breakage at the slightest fall or bump. He's gotten used to it, the way people want to ignore him instead of befriending him, and that is why his only friend is a young man called Dumb Willie. He wasn't born dumb, more like his parents beat him senseless and now they are stuck dealing with him. Yet Abel and Willie share something that transcends what most don't see and that is their genuine friendship for one another, the kind that would have either of them laying down their life for the other. But now, threat comes to Abel this summer, as Chris vows to get even with him, and that is a threat that Abel has to take serious. If he were to get into a fight with Chris, who knows how badly he might be in the hospital or even worse.

When a traveling miracle man heads to Mattingly, the principal recommends that Lisa and Abel might want to see him. Miracles are promised to those the man touches and it might just be what they both need to rise above all the slights from people based on their current status in town, barely making ends meet and of course Abel being born to an unwed mother in a small town is just the kind for rumors to circulate. One thing is certain, that night will forever change the lives of every single person in town, might be for the better or might be for the worse. Just depends on whose side you might be on!

I received Some Small Magic by Billy Coffey compliments of Net Galley and Thomas Nelson Publishers. The best thing about any of Billy's novels is that you don't know what you are getting yourself into, only that is will be a remarkable and amazing ride. For me, this one was a bit of blend between Meet Joe Black and What Dreams May Come. You might not know how it plays out in the end, but you know you are forever changed somehow by this journey into the unknown. There are so many exceptional quotes from this book, I don't wonder if I have most of the book highlighted over what isn't. Well worth every single 5 out of 5 stars. "Doesn't everything and all hold its own small magic, waiting to be revealed to one who merely bends close enough to behold it?"

For more information about Some Small Magic, Billy Coffey or where you can pre-order a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Some Small Magic by Billy Coffey

You can find Billy Coffey on Facebook, to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Some Small Magic, please visit Thomas Nelson Publisher's website. 

There Will Be Stars

"In the world it is called Tolerance, but in hell it is called Despair...the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes will nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die. ~ Dorothy Sayers"

I sat here for quite some time, wondering how I can put into words what Billy Coffey's newest novel, There Will Be Stars is, without giving it away. I'm probably sure of one thing, after I write this review and publish it, think on it some more, will probably wish I had written something else. I always do when it comes to Billy's novels and that my friend, is what makes his novels so unique! I guess, I'm still wondering what genre it might fit into, because for some it will be one thing, and for others something else. I think people will all take something very different away from this novel, and that is what makes Billy Coffey's writing style so unique and almost ethereal in a sense. It takes you someplace, you're not sure you want to go, kinda of like hearing that strange noise at night, and you don't really want to know what it is, but you have to see for yourself if it is something or simply nothing at all.

There Will Be Stars in a novel from the Mattingly Series of novels Billy began writing about and as he places a disclosure at the beginning, these can be read in any order, but this one takes place a few years after  In the Heart of the Dark Wood. I love to read them in the order he has written them, and then I make in fact go back and read them in a different order. This is the story not only of Bobby Barnes, the main character in this novel but those who he is interconnected with. Not only those who play a role in this novel, but those who he speaks with in getting from the beginning to the end of this story.

Bobby Barnes is the town's drunk. He runs a automotive repair shop in the small town of Mattingly, Virginia, one in which everyone knows your business, often without your permission, because it is that small and everyone is connected in some unique way that can only be explained by the mind of the writer of the novel. People have been saying for some time, that Bobby will one day drink himself to death, either by consuming so much or by getting behind the wheel. Bobby might have a different opinion on that one. He works better when he has had a few even though he rarely gets much done. Perhaps he drinks to forget, perhaps he drinks simply because that is all he has known, and to do something different, might just throw him for a spin he isn't willing to take. Whatever the issue, this is the story of how Bobby defines those very moments in something I have a hard time describing. All I know is that you have to experience it to understand it and that my friend, is why you need to read this novel.

I received There Will Be Stars by Billy Coffey compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review and I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and personal opinion. How to describe what this novel is about is like mixing Groundhog Day with the Twilight Zone. There are six people who are about to find out what heaven or hell is like based on their own perceptions of where they are in life and how they see the events that are coming to them all. In fact, all I know is that Billy Coffey can spin a tale that will have you second guessing yourself all the way to the very end and make you want to reread it to see if you might have missed something along the way. For me, this is a definite sign of a truly talented writer, and for me, this one rates up there with something Stephen King might have written! Well worth again another 5 out of 5 stars! Keep em coming Billy Coffey, keep em coming! A reader's discussion guide is included at the conclusion and would make for one great novel for book clubs to take a poke at!

For more information about There Will Be Stars, Billy Coffey or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

There Will Be Stars by Billy Coffey

You can find Billy Coffey on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To see more reviews on There Will Be Stars, please visit Thomas Nelson Publisher's website. 

Mattingly Series Novels by Billy Coffey 

When Mockingbirds Sing

The Devil Walks in Mattingly

In the Heart of the Dark Wood

The Curse of Crow Hollow

There Will Be Stars

In the Heart of the Dark Wood - Giveaway and Review

"Everyone was lost somehow, turned around in their own darkwood, looking for something that would help them go on. Everyone just wanted to find their way home."

It's been eighteen months since the Carnival Day Storm when life in Mattingly would be defined as "Old" or "New" based on where you were when you arrived in town. For one young 12-year-old girl, Allie Gunderson has been marking it off in days. 542 when the novel opens. Allie has been holding on to her version of faith, refusing to accept that the tornado that tore her mother from her life, had taken her away for good. Allie was the only one in town who believed that somehow, somewhere, her mother was still out there, waiting to find her way back home. It was why she believed in her daily rituals that began each morning, and offered her a hope that she might just make it through this day.
"It started with prayer, nothing extravagant or drawn out like the speeches in church; a simply hello and thank-you were usually enough, and were expressed more through Allie's mouth than her heart."(41).

It was simply a way to mark off the time until her mother, Mary made her way home. Tornadoes were like that some times, picking people up and setting them down miles away from home. But no matter how logical some might argue their point with Allie, her faith remained. The only thing she had left of that day was a compass from the Carnival that her mother had given her. It stopped working long ago, and the strap that held it to her wrist like a watch, was once a bright red, had worn to a faded pink. In fact, she would have lost it several times, had Zach Barnett, not reminded her to keep an eye on it. Zach was one of those parts of her life, where Allie would deny she had feelings for, much like her dog Sam, because Allie knew if you loved someone, God would take them away from you. So she kept them both at arms lengths refusing to acknowledge her feelings for them.

Until the day her compass began working again. It was the day her faith would be put to the test when Allie believed her mother had found a way to communicate with her. She was simply pointing the way for Allie to come find her and help her find her way home. Now all she needed was to convince Zach to come with her and help prove once and for all that her mother was not dead. She was simply lost and needed help to find her way home, back to Allie and her father Marshall. Zach knew that Allie was barely hanging on by a thread, but he wasn't about to let her set off in search of her mother by herself. They both promised themselves that they would only be gone for a few hours, home by dark, he promised his parents. That would be four days from the day they entered the woods.

I received In the Heart of the Dark Wood by Billy Coffey compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and Billy Coffey for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions mentioned here are strictly my own unless otherwise notated. This is the third book in this series, and as the author mentions at the beginning, they can be read in any order, but I have to say the way they were written is the best way to begin them. This is a novel in my opinion that explores what faith means in the midst of our darkest times. It is where we face our greatest fears and find our truest strengths. It is where we are tested by fire to see what remains and in this case it is the greatest gift of all, love.

This isn't one of those novels that is wrapped up in a pretty bow at the end, but will cause you to reflect on the journey you find yourself on where you begin reading it. It's not meant to be rushed but savored, explored, and questioned as you the pages not only of Allie's faith, but Zach's character. It is a coming of age story in a different way because each of them has held on to something they have believed in, but hasn't been tested until they day the enter the woods and it will forever change them, not just Allie and Zach, but the entire town of Mattingly. Hands down, one of my favorites by Billy Coffey and I hope that this is not the end of Mattingly. Many more questions remain but perhaps the answers lie buried until another time. Well deserved 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. A Reading Group Guide is included at the conclusion of this novel.

Thanks to Billy Coffey and Thomas Nelson Publishers, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your guidelines:

1. "Like" Billy Coffey's Facebook page. If you're already a follower, simply leave a comment on his page.

2. Be a follower of Billy Coffey's blog, What I Learned Today. 

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of In the Heart of the Dark Wood. Don't forget to include your email address so I have a way to contact you, if you're the lucky winner of the giveaway. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner by email once the giveaway ends on November 24th, and feel free to share this giveaway opportunities with everyone you know.

For more information about In the Heart of the Dark Wood, Billy Coffey or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

In the Heart of the Dark Wood by Billy Coffey

You can find Billy Coffey on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on In the Heart of the Dark Wood, please visit Thomas Nelson's website.