NO GOOD DEED
Eva and Zoe return in the fifth novel of the award winning historical lesbian romance Intertwined Souls Series imbued with urban fantasy and mystery!
Eva Lambros and her lover Zoe are home in Australia after their tumultuous trip to Europe. Eva's wish for a quiet life and children is all that she asks for. It's 1950 in Sydney, Australia and everything is falling into place. Fate has other plans when an accident leaves Eva fighting for her life. The accident heralds a maelstrom of unexplained paranormal incidents and everything points to Eva as being the source.
Zoe has to contend with the possibility of losing the woman she loves just as their dream of a family is in their grasp. Eva's accident reveals more than anyone imagined. A secret that had been hidden for centuries and a decision, taken by a desperate mother intended to protect the child she loves, will now shatter a conspiracy of lies and deceit.
Pick up No Good Deed, where Eva and Zoe's story and timeless love is intense and breathtaking. Love, hope, secrets and lies intertwine in this historical lesbian romance imbued with urban fantasy and mystery.
NO GOOD DEED BOOK TRAILER
“Love is a wild fire that cannot be contained by any mere element known to man.” – Cristina MarreroAuthor Mary D. Brook’s novel ‘No Good Deed’ is a historical fictional tale about two women. The year’s 1951, Eva & Zoe are two star-crossed lovers who have suffered through the war and are now heading back to Australia to settle down and start a family. But life’s never that simple and a couple of life-altering events threaten to derail their future. And Eva’s paranormal powers and its revelation brings forth secrets & characters from her past that puts an even bigger strain on her love life. But the power of love and family is such that it can overcome even the harshest of challenges life throws its way.There’s great chutzpah in the writing, especially in the novel’s dialogues. It’s a good wordy novel and a lot of the action takes place and is conveyed through finely written dialogue pieces. The characters are always mouthing clever and smart lines in accordance with their personalities established early on in the book. The novel will sometimes remind you of a movie script with the way each scene has been conceptualized, written and edited to form this seamless narrative that’s sure to keep your interest level at a constant. Since it’s set in the 1950’s a lot of detailing has gone into making the story believable and authentic. This is especially so because being gay and being a gay couple amidst a sea of judgmental heterosexuals would have been harder to pass off in that era compared to today’s times.
The lead characters in the book come across as both real and life-like and you imagine them existing outside the confines of the book’s narrative as well. The author also deserves praise for her effervescent way of dealing with religion and religious beliefs in the story. She busts many stereotypes along the way and presents various integers in a manner both theists and atheists alike will find acceptable.
There’s a bit of back and forth and tidbits in the narrative pertaining to events already taken place in the character’s past; for a new reader though all this information might leave them a bit aloof. But if you are willing to overlook a few minor missteps like these, this book can be read as a standalone new novel too. That being said, the ingenuity in the plot line and a couple of memorable characters are more than enough reasons to check out the other books in the series as well.
End of the day classifying it as just a good lesbian love story would be doing it a big injustice; it’s a great love story, period.
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
No Good Deed: Intertwined Souls Series, Book 5 is an historical fantasy written by Mary D. Brooks. While this is the fifth book in the Intertwined Souls Series, the author includes enough background information to enable readers to enjoy No Good Deed on its own. The story is set in the early 1950s, in the aftermath of the Second World War. Eva and Zoe Lambros have returned to Sydney, Australia, after their involvement in the resistance. Eva has learned to her surprise that she is the heir to a considerable fortune, including the Muller family industry which she will head along with her uncle. The two women have been trying to begin a family; however, Zoe has not succeeded in becoming pregnant, and adoption is becoming something they are reluctantly considering. When a freak accident at Eva's workplace leaves her with a fractured skull and comatose, any other considerations are dropped as Zoe and the rest of their family wait for her recovery.
Mary D. Brooks' historical fantasy, No Good Deed: Intertwined Souls Series, Book 5 is well-written, impeccably researched and absorbing. I was most impressed by the author's ability to weave the women's story in with the historical backdrop of the war and the Nuremberg Trials. The flowering and impact of Eva's paranormal gifts, which have been passed along through her family for generations, is described in a sobering fashion with the past stories of her and her aunt's electro-shock therapy sessions in German asylums for the condition, adding another grim reminder of the costs of being considered ‘different' at that time in history. No Good Deed is a family saga that will delight fantasy and historical novel buffs alike. It's highly recommended.
I have now finished NGD, the 5th book is this amazing Intertwined Souls Series. Mary D Brooks has captivated me from the first book to the last page of this book, leaving me wanting the 6th now. The intensity, emotions, passions & love that each individual character brings to the story line is something we all wish for and something we can all believe in. The authenticity of the backdrop, from a worn torn country that would haunt most people for life to the 1950’s in Australia is well researched and written. To the readers out there that are looking for that 1 great book series, i strongly recommend The Intertwined Souls Series featuring Eva & Zoe, and extended families. Extremely well written Mary D Brooks, keep it going.
This is the 5th book written in the Intertwined Soul Series by Mary D. Brooks. This book backdrops 1950s Australia and follows the lives of two women who are absolutely devoted to one another. Through the course of the series we follow Eva and Zoe as their love grows and deepens.
No Good Deed picks up where Awakenings left off. Eva and Zoe are back in Australia coming to terms with everything they learned while in Greece and Germany. You will learn more about the gifts Eva was told she has always possessed, but never knew. Just when it seems like life may start finally slowing down for our 2 favorite girls, the past has a way of coming up and biting them square in rear. But it’s not only the past that can come up and bite you, the present has a way of creeping up as well. The connection between Eva and Zoe has always been a deep one, but you will find out just how truly deep this connection goes.
NGD will introduce some old and some new characters. You will see Zoe stand up and face her worst imaginable fear. You will also see Eva and Zoe as they get one of the greatest gifts this world has to offer. You will go through a whirlwind of emotions when reading this book. You will find yourself reaching for the tissues one minute because you are crying to reaching for them the next minute because you are laughing uncontrollably.
The books in the Intertwined Souls Series are deeply connected, but they are able to stand on their own. If you come across this book, I implore you to start from the beginning. Read about Eva and Zoe’s past before you delve into their future. Mary D is an amazing author with a beautiful and talented mind. She has the uncanny ability to put you in the moment as if you are right there with the characters. The first four books in the series are all great on their own. But this is, so far, my favorite book of all. – B. Barnes Amazon.com
Reviewed by Becca Hugh / Amazon US
I’ve been following this series for a while now, and really enjoyed the `travel’ backdrop to Eva and Zoe’s romance. I was intrigued by the prospect of them settling down in this book, and how that might affect their relationship. On top of this big change, some serious, life-changing events happen for both women. Eva’s family has secrets, and that complicates their lives even further.
The story alternates being told from the perspective of both women, so by the end you really feel like you know each of them. Aside from that, it is also an interesting look inside a rare but genuine relationship in the early 1950s, so different from how it is today. Zoe and Eva are tying to have children in the story, and have to go about it in a much different way than gay and lesbian couples are accustomed to today. It brings up feelings of comfort and jealousy in their relationship. I found this to be very raw and an intriguing insight into the complexities of same-sex relationships when the couple wants to have children. The accident also comes into play in an interesting way that could affect their lover forever. Seemingly every possible complication threatened their relationship right when it needed to be the strongest. That’s why making it to the last chapter was so worthwhile for the reader.
What’s nice about this series is that each book is really fleshed out and stands alone, instead of being a chunk of the same story arch, like most KDP books. know this genre of story is usually for a very specific audience, but I have to say that I’ve enjoyed it even though I’m not one of them. It’s a story about love, family, and hard decisions, and I think anyone can get something out of it. – Becca Hugh Amazon.com
Reviewed by Heather G / Amazon UK
Mary D. Brooks continues her captivating 1950’s ‘Intertwined Souls Series’ with Book 5, “No Good Deed.” The story picks up where “Awakenings” leaves off with all the revelations and lessons learned in that journey still fresh and brutal.
They have left Greece behind, taking their secrets and their love to Australia to finally settle down – or so they hope. The couple has overcome so much already, learned soul shattering truths and carried each other through the fires of their own hells, and it’s not over. The challenges of love and life are tossed their way with a devastating casualness, an accident, a hope for a child, secrets, lies, and visions.
They both have their troubles and trials, and while I have fallen in love with both these incredible women over the course of the series, I found myself rooting for Eva even more in this installment. The Bauer Medical Research Facility, her personal hell and horror, is behind her – but it isn’t. She needs to let go and the only way to do that is to walk out on her terms.
Emotionally wrought and deeply written, this novel shows Mary D. Brooks astounding talent. The love between Eva and Zoe is easily felt, as is their angst. Set against the 1950’s, the drama of being a same-sex couple is intense and much different than the LGBT landscape of today. – Heather G Amazon.com
