Good afternoon!! Today I’m super excited to be bringing you a stop on the Reads & Reels Book Tour for Father Figure by James J. Cudney!  As with his first book, Watching Glass Shatter, Jay has brought us another masterpiece!

About the Book

Father Figure – James J. Cudney
Publisher: Creativia
Publication Date: April 2, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Drama

Purchase Links: Amazon

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Synopsis

Between the fast-paced New York City, a rural Mississippi town, and a charming Pennsylvania college campus filled with secrets, two young girls learn the consequences of growing up too quickly. Struggling to survive in a claustrophobic, unforgiving world, they embark on a journey to overcome all the pain, disappointment, and horror of their experiences.

Amalia Graeme, abused by her mother for most of her life, longs to escape her desolate hometown, connect with others, and fall in love. Contemplating an impending loss of innocence and conflicting feelings between her boyfriend and the dangerous attraction she’s developed for an older man, Amalia suffers devastating, life-altering tragedies. No matter where she turns, someone or something always steals her hope of finding happiness, protection, and love.

Brianna Porter, a sassy yet angst-ridden teenager raised in New York City, yearns to determine her life’s true purpose, conquer her fear of abandonment, and interpret an intimidating desire for her best friend, Shanelle. All the confusion stems from desperately needing to find the father whom her mother refuses to reveal, but an unexpected discovery of a journal leads Brianna to a shocking revelation about her missing parent. Unfortunately, by casting the net to find him, she’s unleashed a tragic history that was meant to stay buried and might now completely change everyone’s futures.

Through alternating chapters set two decades apart, each girl’s plight unfolds revealing the parallels between their lives and the subsequent collision that is bound to happen. In an emotional story filled with mystery, romance, and suspense, fate intervenes forcing someone to make a dreadful decision that will leave permanent scars.

Review – 5 out of 5 stars

Jay has come up with another masterpiece in Father Figure. I had the privilege to be a part of the Beta Readers team for this book and have loved it from the beginning. All the polishing and editing it has received have just made it that much better!

Our main characters are phenomenal. They’re complex, they’re well-written and well-developed. Jay successfully makes you feel deeply for each character. You want them to all be happy at the end! Even though life doesn’t always end up that way, you still want it for these characters.

The subject matter in this book is a little more difficult to read dealing with some serious abuse and other life-altering experiences. Jay tackles these subjects head-on and doesn’t balk or tiptoe around them. The result is a gritty, yet realistic portrait of life.

I don’t always enjoy alternating chapters, but I did in this instance. It helped to take a break from the horrible life Amalia has and intersperse it with the more bubbly, happier Brianna.

I also really love the cover of this book. There’s a lot of symbolism on it. The more you read the book and really look at the cover, the more you’ll understand!

I highly recommend this book, though I do include a trigger warning for those with abusive histories. It’s still magnificent and if you can read it, I highly recommend you do!

About the Author

James is my given name; most call me Jay. I grew up on Long Island and currently live in New York City, but I’ve traveled all across the US (and various parts of the world). After college, I spent 15 years working in technology and business operations in the sports, entertainment and media industries. Although I enjoyed my job, I left in 2016 to focus on my passion: telling stories and connecting people through words. My debut novel is ‘Watching Glass Shatter,’ a contemporary fiction family drama with elements of mystery, suspense, humor and romance. To see samples or receive news from my current and upcoming books, please subscribe with your email address at my website: https://jamesjcudney.com

What do I do outside of writing: I’m an avid genealogist (discovered 2K family members going back about 250 years) and cook (I find it so hard to follow a recipe). I love to read; between Goodreads and my blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, I have over 500 book reviews which will give you a full flavor for my voice and style. On my blog, I started the 365 Daily Challenge, where I post a word each day that has some meaning to me, then converse with everyone about life. There is humor, tears, love, friendship, advice and bloopers. Lots of bloopers where I poke fun at myself all the time. Even my dog has a weekly segment called “Ryder’s Rants” where he complains about me. All these things make up who I am; none of them are very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real and show how I live every day.

A bit of humor: Everything doubles as something else when you live in NYC. For me, it’s the dining room, my favorite space in the apartment, where more than just my cooking is on display! As I look out the windows onto a 12th floor terrace, various parts of nature (trees, bushes, flowers, bugs & animals) inspire me to write. Ryder, my 10-year old shiba inu, usually lies on my feet, growling when I shift positions too many times or when I forget to share my food! Although he’s only 20 pounds, he’s quite strong and pushy. But how else can you pen the best story possible without these things by your side?

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Thanks for joining me today!  If you wish to visit other stops on the tour, please click on the banner below to be taken to the Reads & Reels main post with a list of all stops!