by Vicky Adin
As Charlotte and Emma’s relationship deepens, they find themselves enmeshed in a tangle of secrets that changes both their lives.
But he who dares not grasp the thorns should never crave the rose – Anne Brontë
The art of great writing! ... Vicky Adin keeps a tight rein on her two leading characters so their actions and reactions are credibly grounded in genuine emotions. The alternating viewpoint and change of tone from Emma to Charlotte, from young to old, works, helping the reader see behind the lies and half-truths they tell each other. Their progress from antagonists to friends is seamless, as the layers of the story peel back like petals, exposing the truth at the flower’s heart. Highly recommended.
– Bev Robitai, author of Sunstrike
Acknowledgements
I am forever grateful to the many people who assisted me with the writing of The Disenchanted Soldier. I am certain that in naming individuals I will miss out some I should have included, so please take it as given – if you have contributed any information, advice, guidance or support, I thank you.
In particular, I would like to thank the members of the Mairangi Writers’ Group who listened to my early attempts and guided me to a better way. I would especially like to thank author Jenny Harrison (The Lives of Alice Pothron) for reading my first awful drafts and assuring me of its potential. I am certain I would not have published or written anything further without her encouragement.
I would also like to thank those who willingly gave of their time and abilities to motivate me. To Adrienne Charlton, publisher, proofreader and editor extraordinaire, go my thanks and appreciation for her exacting demands with punctuation and grammar to ensure this book is as flawless as humanly possible.
To Ron McDowall, who read all my early work, and my final draft readers, Ged Martin and Janice Mackay, all of whom gave me invaluable feedback. Thanks also to Lynne Martin for the illustrated maps. My appreciation goes to family – aunts, uncles, cousins and parents – who told me their stories.
Lastly, to my own wonderful family – my husband, my two children, their spouses and my four beautiful grandchildren (to whom this book is dedicated) – I am eternally grateful. Their belief in me kept me going.
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