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James J. Cudney

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Father Figure Kindle Edition

by James J. Cudney (Author), Nicki Kuzn (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 243 ratings

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Between the fast-paced New York City, a rural Mississippi town and a charming Pennsylvania college campus filled with secrets, two young girls learn the consequences of growing up too quickly.

Abused by her mother, Amalia Graeme longs to escape her desolate hometown and fall in love. Contemplating her loss of innocence and conflicting feelings between her boyfriend and the dangerous attraction for an older man, Amalia faces life-altering tragedies.

Brianna Porter, a sassy, angst-ridden New York City teenager, yearns to find her life’s true purpose, conquer her fear of abandonment, and interpret an intimidating desire for her best friend, Shanelle. Desperate to find the father whom her mother refuses to reveal, Brianna accidentally finds out a shocking truth about her missing parent.

Set in alternating chapters two decades apart, the parallels between their lives and the unavoidable collision that is bound to happen is revealed. Father Figure is an emotional story filled with mystery, romance, and suspense.

Praise from readers:

★★★★★ - "The book deals with abuse, identity, acceptance, overcoming obstacles, crime, sexuality, family secrets, and knowing who you are. Another great story to read, especially if you love emotive, suspenseful family dramas."

★★★★★ - "Gripping and emotional... Mr. Cudney has written a book full of twists and turns that kept my eyes glued to its pages."

★★★★★ - "Amalia and Brianna are fully developed characters with all the fears, naivety, anxiety and angst of teen, young adults; full of questions and doubts... Can't wait for James Cudney's next work."

Print length

467 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

April 2, 2018
Reading age

16 - 18 years
File size

3768 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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James J. Cudney
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Kindle Edition
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Mary Deal, Author of "The Ka" and ~10 other novels, Artist"A book I stayed up all night to finish. Practical as I am, I've never done that before. This is Cudney's second book and I have read both. He has the ability to create human emotion as specifically required by the characters he creates. He tells this story from the point of view of the two female characters. Surely, he has a deep understanding of and human nature... All the character threads are intrinsically entwined, the twists and turns unexpected. It makes me wonder how this young author understands so much that he is able to turn his knowledge of life into a story such as this. Surely, he has a phenomenal imagination." Beware of Reader Reviews"Secrets are unearthed, revelations come to light and you realize that Cudney truly IS a mastermind. A genius scheming writer. He places seemingly innocent facts here and there, fortuitous encounters, little crumbs and we don't realize all the intricate connections between these threads before a big reveal! "BrizzleLass Reviews"Father Figure took me down a new emotional highway revisiting places I'd been before and felt uncomfortable visiting again but knew I needed to see to understand these characters, along with some new places that made me feel bonded to these characters in an unusually intimate way. This is a cracking novel that you don't want to miss."Crystal's Book World Reviews"The angst I had reading this book, stays with me long after. My heart aches for the characters, yet I see a story that was beautifully written. I never got lost in the course of this book, and in the end I was blown away! Seriously folks, I am letting the emotions I am free falling from write this review."Darque Dreamer Reviews"Father Figure is powerful, emotional, and breath taking! With a hard-hitting story line, and amazingly dynamic characters, this one is sure to impress! For those who love stories of struggle, heartache, and overcoming obstacles, you need to pick this one up!"

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Many thanks for reading the book!

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07BW77CWQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Next Chapter; 4th edition (April 2, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 2, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3768 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 467 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B08NRZ93NN

Best Sellers Rank: #1,701,166 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,216 in Contemporary American Fiction
- #8,180 in Psychological Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #13,822 in Contemporary Literary Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.2 243 ratings

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James J. Cudney

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James is my given name; most call me Jay. I grew up on Long Island, lived in New York City for over a decade, and currently live in Stamford, CT, but I've traveled all across the US (and various parts of the world). After college, I began working in technology and business operations in the sports, entertainment, media, retail, and hospitality industries. Although I enjoy my job, I also want to re-focus on my passions: telling stories and connecting people through literature.

In 2017, I published my debut novel, Watching Glass Shatter, a contemporary fiction family drama with elements of mystery, suspense, humor, and romance. The sequel, Hiding Cracked Glass, released exactly three years later in 2020. I've also written another family drama novel, Father Figure, and created the Braxton Campus Mysteries, a light investigation series about a humorous thirty-something guy dealing with murders and the drama of a small town. I've also co-authored a book, Weathering Old Souls, with the wonderful Didi Oviatt.

Most of my books are available in hardcover, paperback, electronic, and audiobook formats, as well as in a variety of bookstores. We've begun translating into Portuguese, Spanish, German, Greek, and Italian for some of the books too. To see samples or receive news from my current and upcoming books, please subscribe with your email address at my website: https://jamesjcudney.com.

Outside of writing, I'm an avid genealogist (discovered 2,500 family members going back about 250 years) and cook (I find it so hard to follow a recipe). I love to read; between Goodreads and my blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, I have over 1,000 book reviews which will give you a full flavor for my voice and style. On my blog, I share several fun features, including the Book Bucket List, Tips & Advice, Author Spotlights & Book Alerts, and the 365 Daily Challenge, where I post a word each day that has some meaning to me, then converse with everyone about life. You'll find tons of humor, tears, love, friendship, advice and bloopers. Lots of bloopers... where I poke fun at myself all the time. Even my dogs have segments where they complain about me. All these things make up who I am; none of them are very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real and show how I live every day.

A bit of humor: Everything doubles as something else when you live in NYC. For me, it’s the dining room, my favorite space in the apartment, where more than just my cooking is on display! As I look out the windows onto a 12th floor terrace, various parts of nature (trees, bushes, flowers, bugs & animals) inspire me to write. Baxter, a two-year-old shiba inu, constantly tries to stop me from writing so I can play with him and keep him amused. How else can you pen the best story possible without these things by your side?

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

243 global ratings

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E. Denise Billups

Emotional-Charged Suspense from Beginning to End

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2019

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This is the third book I’ve read by Mr. Cudney and I have nothing but praise for this young adult, coming of age story that tugged at every emotion―love, hate, sadness, astonishment, disbelief, fear, contempt, compassion, and finally, the exaltation and satisfaction one feels after a long journey to self-discovery. Father Figure explores emotional and physical abuse and their psychological outcomes― anxiety, anger, depression, insecurity, distrust, clouded by dark family secrets.

Superbly, Mr. Cudney weaves the past and present stories of two unique characters, Amalia Graeme and Brianna Porter, that come together seamlessly. Amalia and Brianna, two young women of different eras, share similar issues revolving around family secrets, love, acceptance, and sexual identity. One dominant theme in each woman’s life is the elusive, consummate father figure they desire in their lives.

Constantly abused by her monstrous mother, the only affection Amalia receives is from her adoring father who’s too weak to stand up to his wife and end her daily torment. Desperate to escape her small town and her mother’s control, Amalia leaves for college eager to discover true love, a new life, and herself. On an emotional level, Amalia seeks a man like her father, caring, mature, and wise. Will she find these qualities in the three men in her life―Bryan, Carter, or Jonah?

” Somedays, he was a replacement for the love I'd lost when my father died… Other days, I found myself attracted to him and his comforting arms and brilliant mind. He was an amazing man.”

When Riley, a young man with malicious intent, appears on campus, fate alters Amalia’s expectations and dreams. Devastated by two personal losses, and brutal rape, Amalia leaves college back to her hometown, her abusive mother, and spirals into depression. Is there hope for her? Will she survive what fate has placed in her life?

Conversely, Brianna raised by an overly protective, single mom in New York City, is anxious to unearth her real father and her mother’s secret past which Molly refuses to discuss.

“You won't talk about anything, and the details are very fuzzy. What girl wouldn't have curiosity about her father especially when her mother goes out of her way to hide who he is?”

To top it off, Brianna’s confused by her feelings for her best friend Shanelle, but the need to find her father overshadows her uncertain sexual identity.

“Brianna ultimately traced her indecisiveness and lack of comfort within her own skin to an all-consuming need to discover the identity of her father…Fathers always protected their little girls and showered them with love.”

Off to college and a new life as a student, Brianna discovers her mother’s diary stuffed in the bottom of an old duffel bag. What she discovers will change her life forever.

Father Figure is aptly titled as both characters search the perfect love to fill or replace their father’s. I love the technique Mr. Cudney employs to bring each character together for the big reveal toward the end. It resembled a whodunit scenario and kept me guessing and anticipating more clues to the lucky or unlucky man. And Just as I believed I knew the answer, Mr. Cudney throws another variable into the plot, ramping up the suspense.

As a male, writing from a female perspective, I’m astonished how well Mr. Cudney captured a teenage girls’ insecurities, doubts, and sexual anxieties. I applaud Mr. Cudney for tastefully written scenes that could have been more explicit.

Father figure is filled with twists and turns and loads of suspense as the story intertwines past and future, building to an emotional rollercoaster and a satisfying conclusion. It’s a journey well worth the time and a novel I highly recommend. Thanks for another fantastic read, Mr. Cudney!

One person found this helpful

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Constantine

A beautifully written novel

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2018

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Rating: 4.0/5.0

Beautifully written. We follow the story of two girls from different times reading them alternatively. Amalia's story happened in the 1980s while Brianna's story in the 2000s. Amelia Graeme lives in rural Mississippi with a loving dad but a very cruel mother. All she wants is to escape from her abusive mother and leave for college and live her own life. There she explores her sexuality but no matter what she does, her mother's vicious and abusive words are always playing in her head. She goes through lots of hardships. Brianna's personality is different, she is more independent as she was raised by her single mother, but still, she struggles to understand her own sexuality and to find her own father. The two stories beautifully connect together at later chapters but I don't want to say more so nothing will be spoiled.

In the earlier chapters, I loved Amalia's story more as it had her abusive mother too which made more action to it. I felt sorry for Amalia and rooted for her, Brianna did not need the reader to root for her earlier but the mystery that surrounded her father makes the reader hooked to her story too.

There are many issues that the book tackles like parent abuse, sexuality, love etc. I love when a novel is complex and deal with lots of stuff. This one had all that I wanted. The writing is excellent, easy and beautiful. Yes, sometimes I felt that the stories had many coincidences but still that did not take from it anything. I would love to thank the author James J. Cudney for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for an unbiased honest review. I give this book a solid 4 stars out of 5.

One person found this helpful

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NG

Poignant and gripping novel.

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2019

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This was a truly engaging read. Structured in alternative chapters, it presented the story of two young women living twenty years apart, one desperately trying to run away and forget her past, the other one eager to find answers about her past and her true sexuality.

Twenty years ago, Amalia suffered from the actions and words of an abusive mother. Her father tried to soften the pain, showing more understanding, but unfortunately not brave enough to stand up to his wife. He was the only person that comforted her in her young age. Still, she had to leave Brant and start a new life. Life plays with us often and it played big with Amelia too while she was in college. Instead of starting a new beautiful life, being happily in-love, she experienced a series of events that made her run away. What was supposed to be her way out proved to be another painful period. What did she do? She ran away and decided to keep the past buried. Was this the best decision? Did she manage to finally be happy and live a careless life? Was love again in the cards for her? The future will show.

Now, twenty years later, Brianna was about to start college and turning 18 made her wish to find out who her father is stronger. She was at a point in life where she wanted to find answers about herself too, including her true sexuality. She felt the need to find out more about her family. Do we really need to know where we come from to know who we are?

Humorous at times, this beautifully written and perfectly paced story deals with many themes (aggressive behaviors, physical and emotional abuse, family issues, sexuality, etc) that are far from being happy, but are definitely a part of the real life.

The characters are strong, well-described, and unique. The twists and turns, with a dash of mystery, are often unexpected. A real page-turner and another proof that the author is one of my favorites.

Quote from the book: “Life just happens sometimes. You can't predict it. You don't know where it will drop you off unexpectedly. You only get to pick up the pieces when it's all said and done.”

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Sandra Jackson

The Twists will Keep you Guessing

Reviewed in Canada on April 18, 2019

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In 1984, naïve 17-year-old, Amalia Graeme, can’t wait for college to start to get away from her hometown Brant, Mississippi and her abusive mother. The only person she’ll miss is her father. It’s just too bad that over the years he did little to protect Amalia from her mother’s physical and emotional abuse.

20 years later, in 2004, another girl, Brianna Porter, is exploring a college campus with her best friend, Shanelle. Always feeling smothered by her over-protective mother, the only parent Brianna has ever known, she can’t wait to head off to school in the fall. Her mother wants her to choose a college close to home in New York City, but Brianna has other plans. It’s not that she doesn’t love her mother, but Brianna needs to get away so she can understand herself and figure out what she wants.

I loved this story with all of its surprises. Just when I thought I had it figured out, a new twist turned everything around. It has been a while since a story had me uttering my shock out loud.

Father figure is a well-woven tale of two young women decades apart. Their stories intertwine until you realize they have more in common then wanting to leave home and needing to find who they are. It is well-written with few errors either grammatically or technically. If you enjoy a well-thought out mystery, then you will enjoy this story.

Eileen Thornton

A Most Enjoyable and Thought Provoking Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2018

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The story is divided between two young women.
The year is 1984 and Amalia, who lives in a small town, is about to set out for college. She is desperate to get away from her abusive mother, Janet, who has been cruel towards her all her life. Though her father sympathizes with his daughter, he, is reluctant to stand up against his dominating wife. Once she is away from home, she finds a boyfriend, before falling in love with a much older man.
The scene changes to 2004, where Brianna is preparing to leave for college. She was brought up by her loving, though over-protective. single mother and they have always got along well together. However, Brianna, never having a father around while she was growing up, is keen to learn who he is. and why he wasn't there for her But her mother is reluctant to pass on any information. Therefore, she tries to find out for herself.
The story continues with the chapters alternating between the two young women; telling their stories of love, fear and disappointment.
It is only in the final chapters that the truth behind the two young women begins to emerge.
To say anymore would only spoil it for the reader. However, I will say that I couldn't put this book down It is such an enthralling read. The author, James J Cudney can certainly keep his readers on the edge of their seats.

One person found this helpful

Isobel Blackthorn

Delightful and disturbing

Reviewed in Australia on June 27, 2019

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Father Figure is a family mystery novel opening on the prologue scene of a terrible accident in a cabin at Crestwood Resort and Lodge, an accident that foreshadows the unfolding of an intriguing web of dysfunction and lies. A man holding a knife to a woman's throat, demanding to know what was in the envelope. The question - where are you hiding my daughter? The awful crash through the cabin window.

The story jumps back to 1984, to teenage Amalia and her grotesque and vile mother, Janet, daughter of a Baptist minister. Amalia's old and infirm father, Peter, is no use when it comes to protecting her from his wife's wrath and Amalia suffers terribly from her mother's cruelty. Might be a trigger warning here for some. The abusive dynamics take place in Brant, a small town in Mississippi where the family own a store. Amalia is poised to go to college on a scholarship. She idolises her father and is eager to escape her mother's clutches. What sort of father figure is he, really?

Meanwhile, in 2004, Brianna is hanging out with her best friend, Shanelle, at college in Pennsylvania. Brianna is the daughter of a single mum and she's on a quest to discover the identity of her father. Her mother is tightlipped and refuses to reveal all and Brianna is consumed by the not knowing.

What unfolds in alternating chapters is a gripping mystery with all the twists and turns and narrative bounces the genre demands. Cudney has a knack of drawing the reader into what is essentially a dark and disturbing coming of age story. His descriptions evoke a strong sense of place and all the characters are well-rounded and delightfully quirky yet entirely plausible. Cudney gets inside the hearts and minds of his twin protagonists, and especially the torment of these two young women who are struggling to deal with family circumstances. In the end, what Brianna discovers will shock her to her core. Highly recommended to lovers of mysteries.

One person found this helpful

Janice J. Richardson

Depth

Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2018

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With depth of character and insight, the author builds a story worth reading. The story unfolds as two girls mature, accept and love.

Laura

Review of Father Figure

Reviewed in Canada on June 17, 2020

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Father Figure follows the stories of Amalia Graeme, a teenager looking forward to going off to college in the fall, and Brianna Porter, also a teenager looking forward to going off to college in the fall. But while Amalia wants to escape her abusive household, Brianna just wants to experience college life with her best friend Shanelle, and also find her father, which has nothing to do with wanting to go to college.

This book is very different from anything I've read from this author previously but it's a great and well-written story. It was a little frustrating with switching between different storylines and timelines, especially when one was getting interesting but then you'd come to the end of the chapter and be put back in the other timeline. But it all hangs together very well and I'd advise anyone on the lookout for an angsty, family drama read to give it a go.

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