Thursday 5 May 2016

THE JOKER by Georgia Rose

4 out of 5 stars

Short story

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE



The Joker is a short story, an ingenious idea I've only seen done a couple of times before, and like very much: it's a deeper look into the background of one of the characters from Georgia Rose's series of romantic suspense/mystery novels, The Grayson Trilogy, though it can be read as a stand alone, or introduction to the series.

Will is a troubled man with a past in the military, and difficulty in finding contentment back in the 'real' world.  Flashbacks of his experiences and his reluctance to form meaningful relationships hold him back, but might he manage to break through that barrier?  A one night stand gives him hope for the future. 

This is an enjoyable hour's read and the end, especially, will certainly pique the reader's interest about the mysterious Grayson; I liked how she was introduced in the final section.  The insight into Will's mind is artfully written, and the lack of speech marks in the conversation works well, for the most part; this is always a risky device to use, but in this case it does a nice job of adding to Will's feeling of detachment.  

Love, mystery and horses :)

 

11 comments:

  1. Many thanks Terry, I'm delighted you enjoyed the story so much :-) I had a great time writing it but it took ages so I'm thrilled it's now out and finding readers :-)

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    1. You're welcome - of course it's now made me want to write some 'outtakes' as well... I think if I did that's what I'd call them!! But I probably won't get round to it.

      I can't remember if you've read Dream On and Full Circle, but at the end of the latter all story threads are resolved except one. Husband thinks I ought to write the short story for that, then re-package them as a two part book. Hmmmm.... it's just getting round to all this stuff, isn't it?!

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    2. It certainly is T, I've read, and really enjoyed, Dream On but still have Full Circle on my list. You could do your 'Outtakes' instead of a novella one year, couldn't you?

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    3. Yes - problem is price, though; some of my novels are only 99p, and obviously both novellas are. I wish Amazon would allow a lower price for, say, under 15K word stories!

      I have an idea for the next novella, too...

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    4. I agree! I feel very cheeky having TJ up for 99p but I shall put it up for free as often as I'm allowed. Apologies to all who have bought it but I love you for doing so :-) But really T what is 99p in the grand scheme of things. People think nothing of handing over twice that for a coffee so why do we undervalue our work so much...just because everyone else does it, that's all!! This is actually quite a bugbear of mine...

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    5. Oh, I agree about 'what is 99p', completely! I don't think it's undervaluing it to sell it cheaply - what we do is not an essential, and as such is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it; we don't have a 'right' to be read just because we've spent 6 months labouring over something!! Yes, I used to do that with Nine Lives, my short story collection, too, ie, put it on free as often as I could, but I don't bother any more because I think it's about run its course. Different with a new one, though!!

      To be honest I wouldn't pay 99p for a short story; I get most of my books on Kindle Unlimited anyway, but the way I look at shorts is that they're not to make money but to get people to read you in the first place, as I am sure you agree!!

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    6. Neither is coffee an essential, despite what some on Twitter would have us believe - haha! Anyway you're quite right and when I can get round to it I shall try and get it on permafree. I just have to build up to loading it up elsewhere first!!

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    7. Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! Love it :) (It is to me, but I totally get your drift ;) )

      Yeah, I've always said I'd get NL on permafree too. I started saying this 3 years ago, so I doubt I'll ever get round to it!! It does actually sell about one a month, but I am sure it would do more good on permafree. It's like paperbacks - something I've grown to accept will never happen!

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  2. I've just added this to my kindle after spotting it on Georgia's Facebook page. Looking forward to reading it.

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