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The Foiled Knight John C Stipa 9781484820285 Books

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The Foiled Knight John C Stipa 9781484820285 Books

This is the second of Stipa's novels that I've read. His debut novel, "No Greater Sacrifice" remains one of my favorites in what I might loosely categorize as a "Dan-Brown-DaVinci-Code" type story... the type of story of which I'm a big fan, by the way. So, since I was already of fan of such stories, it wasn't a big surprise that I liked "Sacrifice" as much as I did (See my review). BUT... When I heard that his newest novel, The Foiled Knight, was an entirely different sort of story, I didn't know if I would like it as much, especially when I found out it was more along the line of a romance novel. Having never read such a book before, I was skeptical as to whether I would actually enjoy it. Ha! Enjoy it??? Oh yeah! All the clichés apply: "Couldn't put it down!" "A real page-turner!" "I devoured it!" "Hated to see it end!" But, why? What was so good about it? That's what you really want to know. Right?

Well, one thing that comes to mind, since I just used the word "cliché", is that the writing is nearly devoid of clichés. A lot tired old phrases appear in the descriptive passages of many books. You know, like "limp as an old dish rag" or "hard as a rock". Sure, they work and we're so used to seeing or hearing such phrases that we get the point and move on without really giving it a passing thought. Stipa, on the other hand, has a gift for coming up with fresh, inventive and yet effective descriptive phrasing. As a writer, myself, I tend to notice things like that. Most readers probably won't notice and that's a good thing. A good writer doesn't really want his words to yank the reader out of the flow of the narrative. Quite the opposite. So maybe I shouldn't even have mentioned it. LOL! But I couldn't help myself. I was just so impressed by how well crafted the story is, overall.

Oh, and action? Yes, indeed. There are suspenseful moments and action scenes in the story that set my adrenaline into high gear. So much so that on the one hand I found myself wanting to speed read ahead because I couldn't wait to find out what happened. But I also didn't want to miss a single word of what I was reading. In other words, those scenes made for some pretty intense reading. It was great. I loved it.

But is it a romance novel? Well, yes and no. That is, it's not at all what I expected and, maybe, that was a large part of the appeal for me. You know. The surprise factor. I'd have to say it's a bit of a cross-genre.

Yes, there is definitely a romance element to the story but it's so much more than that, including mystery, murder, kidnapping, good guys and bad (really bad) guys and plenty of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages to figure out what's really going on. Stipa holds back just enough, at just the right moments, to keep you guessing. And then, when he reveals a little more, it often turns out to be not quite what you might have expected. The character development is very good and the overall story arc is well-conceived and deftly executed.

In closing, I have to say I did not want the story to end. I became (to my great surprise) so intimately absorbed into the lives, the trials, the tribulations, the joys, the heartbreaks, and just the sheer intriguing complexity of the lives of the two main characters, Stan Palmer and Tanya Davis, that I felt like they were friends I'd known for a long time. But when it did end, I simply sat back, shook my head, let out a long sigh and thought, "Whoa. What a ride." It was a lot like the visceral satisfaction of having just finishing a really outstanding meal. You know, where you reach for the napkin, dab the corners of your mouth, fold the napkin, lay it on the table, sit back the chair, smack your lips, nod your head approvingly and exclaim, "My compliments to the chef!"

* * *

Gary Val Tenuta
Author of Ash: Return of the Beast


Tags : The Foiled Knight [John C. Stipa] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Tanya Davis receives that dreaded late night phone call: Stan Palmer has been critically injured in a car accident. Stan and Tanya were once close. That is,John C. Stipa,The Foiled Knight,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1484820282,Fiction,Fiction - Romance,Fiction Romance Suspense,Romance,Romance - Suspense

The Foiled Knight John C Stipa 9781484820285 Books Reviews

Really liked this story. Had an unexpected ending. I felt I knew how it would end, didn't want to put it down. Nice story.
A terrific read. Characters are believable and the dialogue rings true. Stipa's descriptions of Abington, PA take you right there. You root for Tanya in her quest to find out the truth of Stan's accident. The story of their relationship from childhood friendship to adult betrayal and forgiveness keeps the story interesting.
I DON'T USUALLY ENJOY BOOKS THAT GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN PRESENT AND PAST. THIS BOOK, HOWEVER, KEPT MY INTEREST WITH THE LAST HALF HAVING BEEN SO INTENSE I COULD PUT IT DOWN.
Slow to start but gradually brought me in. Good cover of the characters lives up to the point of the present. Encompassing small town life and death with a bit of mystery, danger and romance.
The Foiled Knight has me thinking about people I have not thought about in years. The characters are delightful and have the courage to face the tough times together as favorite friends often do. I was so afraid that Stan wasn't going to make it.
What is love? Loyalty wins out. What is a relationship? Stirpa sets out his values. He adds two sets of TV parents, and then two sets of non-TV parents for the two primary villains. To spice up the book, he adds a missing, kidnapped 14-year-old, and the good guy falls into a coma.

Stirpa writes well and the book kept my attention. I suspect it will keep yours.
I agree with the other reviewers this is a wonderful book to read. It's highly suspenseful, thrilling, and the characters really ARE characters! I like the slow love affair coming back to life between the main characters even if one of them lies in a coma! The ending is perfect. The killer himself is quite the character - there's none like him. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy good thrillers.

Lila L. Pinord
Author of Skye Dancer
This is the second of Stipa's novels that I've read. His debut novel, "No Greater Sacrifice" remains one of my favorites in what I might loosely categorize as a "Dan-Brown-DaVinci-Code" type story... the type of story of which I'm a big fan, by the way. So, since I was already of fan of such stories, it wasn't a big surprise that I liked "Sacrifice" as much as I did (See my review). BUT... When I heard that his newest novel, The Foiled Knight, was an entirely different sort of story, I didn't know if I would like it as much, especially when I found out it was more along the line of a romance novel. Having never read such a book before, I was skeptical as to whether I would actually enjoy it. Ha! Enjoy it??? Oh yeah! All the clichés apply "Couldn't put it down!" "A real page-turner!" "I devoured it!" "Hated to see it end!" But, why? What was so good about it? That's what you really want to know. Right?

Well, one thing that comes to mind, since I just used the word "cliché", is that the writing is nearly devoid of clichés. A lot tired old phrases appear in the descriptive passages of many books. You know, like "limp as an old dish rag" or "hard as a rock". Sure, they work and we're so used to seeing or hearing such phrases that we get the point and move on without really giving it a passing thought. Stipa, on the other hand, has a gift for coming up with fresh, inventive and yet effective descriptive phrasing. As a writer, myself, I tend to notice things like that. Most readers probably won't notice and that's a good thing. A good writer doesn't really want his words to yank the reader out of the flow of the narrative. Quite the opposite. So maybe I shouldn't even have mentioned it. LOL! But I couldn't help myself. I was just so impressed by how well crafted the story is, overall.

Oh, and action? Yes, indeed. There are suspenseful moments and action scenes in the story that set my adrenaline into high gear. So much so that on the one hand I found myself wanting to speed read ahead because I couldn't wait to find out what happened. But I also didn't want to miss a single word of what I was reading. In other words, those scenes made for some pretty intense reading. It was great. I loved it.

But is it a romance novel? Well, yes and no. That is, it's not at all what I expected and, maybe, that was a large part of the appeal for me. You know. The surprise factor. I'd have to say it's a bit of a cross-genre.

Yes, there is definitely a romance element to the story but it's so much more than that, including mystery, murder, kidnapping, good guys and bad (really bad) guys and plenty of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages to figure out what's really going on. Stipa holds back just enough, at just the right moments, to keep you guessing. And then, when he reveals a little more, it often turns out to be not quite what you might have expected. The character development is very good and the overall story arc is well-conceived and deftly executed.

In closing, I have to say I did not want the story to end. I became (to my great surprise) so intimately absorbed into the lives, the trials, the tribulations, the joys, the heartbreaks, and just the sheer intriguing complexity of the lives of the two main characters, Stan Palmer and Tanya Davis, that I felt like they were friends I'd known for a long time. But when it did end, I simply sat back, shook my head, let out a long sigh and thought, "Whoa. What a ride." It was a lot like the visceral satisfaction of having just finishing a really outstanding meal. You know, where you reach for the napkin, dab the corners of your mouth, fold the napkin, lay it on the table, sit back the chair, smack your lips, nod your head approvingly and exclaim, "My compliments to the chef!"

* * *

Gary Val Tenuta
Author of Ash Return of the Beast