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Flights of Fancy by Reggie Morrisey

Description 

The Flights of Fancy main character, Sage Anthony, is a mystery writer pigeonholed into a genre that bores her. 

Murder in medieval convents and abbeys are her stock and trade, but she cannot write gore anymore. 

After growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley minus a biological father, taunted by a homicide-detective stepfather and wary of Stepfather#2, Sage has a mind rife with suspicion. 

Blunt trauma to her head makes her thirty-something life tortured, even though she lives in a loft apartment on the New Paltz, New York estate of an aging billionaire who is obsessed with her––but then, so was his wife.

Unconditional love eludes Sage. 

Guarded affairs abruptly start and end. 

A fixation with finding her “Dad” consume. 

Her Irish-born mother is similarly guarded in her affairs, critical of Sage’s choices, and she fumes as a 21st century American patriot. Alas, her daughter is not tuned into politics, only the weather.

Sage’s life proves the maxim, “What you think about expands.” Up against a book deadline, her mind wanders. She fashions a fairy garden. She plays with the beagle show dogs yelping in the kennel beneath her loft. She wanders to the stable and walks the estate grounds. Still no new book. Instead, her creativity kicks in an unlikely direction.

Luck follows as Sage strikes it rich and does whatever she fancies in Paris, the South of France and at her own New Paltz estate. 

France is where the book takes you more than once, the last trip capped by a February 2020 stopover in Milan for Fashion Week. Remember what happened in the winter of 2020 in Milan and the rest of the world? Yes. That.

Note: I started to imagine Sage Anthony’s life on a 2014 transatlantic flight to New York and filed away my notes in a folder labeled, Tomorrow File. Tomorrow has arrived. Flights of Fancy is now boarding!

Publication Date 8/8/2024

My Review 

“Flights of Fancy” is a uniquely woven tale that combines the elements of mystery, personal exploration, and a splash of whimsy. 

Sage Anthony, is a mystery writer trapped in a genre that stifles her creativity, she’s also grappling with her past and the complexities of her present.

From the outset, Sage’s world is richly imagined New Paltz’s scenic beauty serves as an enticing backdrop. The lofty apartment above an aging billionaire’s estate (where she lives) and her connections with show dogs illustrates the tension between her high profile life and the mundane struggles of creativity and self acceptance.

As the story unfolds, we witness Sage’s frustrations melt away into moments of pure joy as she fashions her fairy garden, interacts with lively beagles, and explores the expansive grounds of her home. These moments are like a breath of fresh air.

The book captures her dilemma of seeking creative expression while navigating the complexities of her relationship with her mother and her past.

Sage’s luck takes a turn when she strikes it rich, leading her to indulge in her fantasies across glamorous landscapes like Paris and the South of France. Each destination is vividly described, making us feel transported into the heart of these captivating locales. The writing flows easily, capturing both the allure of new experiences and the bittersweet essence of her ongoing search for belonging.

The story takes a thrilling twist with her trip to Milan for Fashion Week. The timing of this journey, just before the world changes with the COVID-19 pandemic, adds layers of significance and urgency to her character’s exploration and desires.

“Flights of Fancy” explores themes of creativity, identity, and of unconditional love. The blend of mystery, humor, and the pursuit of happiness makes this novel an enchanting read.

Overall, “Flights of Fancy” is an exploration of a woman’s quest for self fulfilment, filled with humorous moments, poignant reflections, and lush settings.

I have to admit, I liked it, but I didn’t love it. (My opinion) its not in the usual genres I read. I also think Sage has some growing up still to do (again just my opinion) 

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Gossamer Wings: Sequel to Flights of Fancy by Reggie Morrisey

Description 

Gossamer Wings takes up from 2024’s Flights of Fancy in this Sage Anthony sequel as she frets out the Covid-19 pandemic in luxury, her fear mounting with the death toll. This millionaire hunkers down at her estate in the Hudson River Valley with her grouchy, Irish-born mother, Una Regan, a gossipy staff and a champion beagle show dog named Banjo. He is to be the subject of kiddy books Sage, a former mystery novelist, wants to pen, though she doesn’t like kids and knows nothing about writing children’s literature. This may be a mistake. Undeterred, she hires a publishing assistant who insists on hiring a children’s book specialist. Tense Zoom-call editorial meetings follow.

Sage is stuck in her own childhood. She yearns to know her biological father and gathers the courage (and saliva specimen) to find him via DNA. Her relationship with her disapproving mother boils over, and the revelation of her family’s DNA threatens to send Sage into a tailspin. Horseback rides and solitary walks with her beagle constitute her waking life. She longs to return to her condo on the Mediterranean Sea in the South of France. For years, African migrants have stumbled ashore there, seeking work and finding shelter underwritten by a pitying Sage. Charity toward migrants aside, Sage is cut off from most humans. The prospect of an affair entices, except she trusts no one. 

The estate’s working stiffs –– some who entered her world in Flights of Fancy––bear their own emotional scars:

• Afghanistan combat veteran and kennel manager Ted Squire seems frozen in place by more than a pandemic lockdown. Sage is aloof to him, but Ted’s girlfriend, show dog handler Beryl Koveey, exposes what ties him to Sage, and it is not her money.
• Russian army deserter Ivan Voronin commands Sage’s estate until threatened to be upstaged by a fellow Russian, Nicholai Dostoyevsky, a builder/former banker who may decipher Ivan’s account books.
• The shy, middle-aged farmstand owner Emma Muller locks down with Ivan in his cottage on the estate, but seems smitten by the estate’s chef, Trevor Mandel.
• The chef is a buff, open-hearted Adonis. He plans healthy menus. Sage indulges her every junk food fancy.
• Petite Croatian Petra Horvak, a Lonely Planet wanderer, lucks onto the estate with a hand from Ivan and a hand from Nicholai, although she detests Russians.

Staff changes make for strange bedfellows, all waiting for a vaccine and life to change. Even a homeless man who wanders onto estate property will leave transformed. Driven by class biases, as adrift in the world as refugees stumbling onto foreign shores, they all dream of the freedom money buys. But when Sage gets the all-clear to escape New York, she must choose between drowning in her family’s drama or living a dream.

Publication Date 28/1/2025

My Review 

In “Gossamer Wings,” the sequel to “Flights of Fancy,” Sage Anthony finds herself in a world teetering between privilege and vulnerability, love and isolation. 

Set against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the story is rich with characters and poignant themes.

Sage, a wealthy woman grappling with her past, invites people into her luxurious yet lonely estate in the Hudson River Valley. Her relationships, particularly with her grouchy mother and the eccentric staff, reveal an intricate web of emotional struggles. Through the lockdown, Sage’s longing for connection intensifies, particularly as she navigates the prospect of finding her biological father.

The supporting characters lift the storyline.. Emma, the shy farmstand owner, sparks a subtle love triangle that complicates her feelings for Trevor, the charming chef. Ivan, the Russian army deserter, and his rivalry with Nicholai adds tension. Each character has their own trauma, reflecting a society driven by uncertainty and the desperate need for belonging.

The dynamics among the residents of the estate are playful yet serious, proving the strangeness of human connection in a time of crisis. The introduction of a wandering homeless man serves as a reminder of the power of empathy and community.

As the characters navigate their intertwined fates and grapple with personal demons, “Gossamer Wings” becomes a powerful exploration of class, love, and the journeys we undertake in search of connection. 

I liked this one better than the first. I grew to like Sage (I still feel she had some growing to do) and loved her interactions with her Beagle. 

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