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Evelyn J. Squires is the author of six young adult novels, and she has so many stories in her head that she's unable to get it all out on paper, only having time to write and edit three books per year.
As a former ballerina, she has always loved being creative, and when she retired from dance, she turned to writing—a former passion from college. As a direct descendant of the Vikings, she was always interested in her heritage, so naturally, her first series was "A Viking Blood Saga," a historical fantasy with ample amounts of romance, suspense and viking history.
Wraithsong, the first book in her second series, "Desirable Creatures," was released in March of 2014, and won the silver medal in the Reader's Favorite International Book Award Contest. When she's not taking care of her three children or at the gym, you can find her writing in her sun-room, on the couch to snuggle up with her hubby, or in between stirring the pot while making dinner.
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for Readers' Favorite
The place is the Nordic villages of Europe, the time is 1007, the early 11th century and Vikings are alive and well. Winter Solstice Winter follows two young women, both born on the same night, the eve of the winter solstice. One, Allia just a common daughter who has been having strange dreams recently, almost as if another life had occurred. Lucia, the daughter of the King, who has no idea how to take care of herself, but has been left on her own. Toss in a dark Queen trying to take over the Kingdom and a duty to protect it, past lives, and a shared love interest and you have a wonderful story by E.J. Squires.
Winter Solstice Winter is well written and flows so nicely that once you start reading you won't want to put it down; the next thing you know it's over. E.J. Squires did a wonderful job of giving each character qualities so that you can like and feel for them. The historical aspect of the Nordic areas and the Vikings, with their drunkenness and raids, along with the winter and snowy weather, just make for a perfect backdrop. So that you understand the story, any back story that needs to be included is done through conversations, so that it fits into the flow of the book. It never feels out of place or disrupts the story. It is so well written I can easily picture the snow-covered grey cliffs and the villages.
