This is an intense debut!
Shadows in the Mind’s Eye is a psychological thriller set in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas following the war against Japan/post WW2. This read is gripping, right from page one until the very last.
Sam is a returning veteran, suffering from PTSD, though at the time it wasn’t recognized as that. Veterans returning from the war have been seen wandering around Hot Springs, AK and are feared by the locals, and blamed for some of the crime that is happening.
Annie expects her husband’s return to be a wonderful experience, but it turns terrifying as his nightmares morph into something more. Or so everyone thinks.
It’s a story of fighting for your marriage when it seems there’s nothing left to fight for. It’s about family, loyalty, and forgiveness.
The story telling is quite unique, pulling readers into Annie and Sam’s world. Descriptions are vivid so readers can envision the farm on top of the mountain and the town of Hot Springs. This book is filled with drama, mobsters, deception, suspenseful moments, and a cast of characters who aren’t who they all appear to be. No one seems to trust another. And no one knows who they can trust.
The themes are heavy (so I don’t suggest reading it at night with all the lights off except your book light!). But a thread of redemption and hope is woven neatly through the final quarter of the book.
I received a copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

"I told you about when my Herbert came home from the Great War." Dovie May looped my arm into the crook of hers. "Lord, I missed him something fierce, and I expected everything to end up happy like they do in the storybooks. Was I ever in for a surprise. We think everything eventually goes back to what we want it be. That everything'll be happy and familiar, the good winning. We never want to travel beyond the point where everybody's happy. But life's everything after and the question is, what are you going to do with the truth life drops into your life?"

After three years of being overseas fighting in World War 2, Sam returns home to his Arkansas orchard in the mountains. He left a newlywed and returns as a father to a toddler. That is a happy adjustment, but the changes inside of him feel more dramatic.

Annie is so glad that her husband is finally home. But he is not the man that she married. She alternates between wanting to love him back to health, cover for him and also feeling anger toward him.

Thankfully they both have Dovie May. Sam's mother adds wisdom to the situation. She also welcomed home her man from war, so she understands.

If this were not challenging enough, Sam starts to see things happening on the farm. Is he imagining things. Or is there something sinister happening?

I would categorize this book as a psychological thriller. I think at one point during the reading of this book, I was frustrated with each one of the characters. (Other than Dovie May perhaps.) This book was intense. My emotions were swinging everywhere. But I actually think this is one reason why I enjoyed this book. The situations forced me to feel, and they were not always happy circumstances.

My grandparents both fought in World War 2. One of them married about a week after returning home. I cannot imagine all of the adjustments my grandmother faced. This book helped me to ponder what life would have been like for veterans who had seen too much.

As for the other suspenseful parts, you will have to read the book to find out more. I do have to say that the cover fits the plot SO very well. Let's just say that there are definitely some unexpected twists and turns. What a great debut novel!

One last quote that is significant to the plot - the power of memory! This definitely plays an important part in the plot.

"One thing I know for certain is that memory's a slippery thing. It changes and morphs, solidifying only at the insistence of the most powerful things. It gets so that no one's ever quite sure what actually happened."

I was provided a copy of this book as a part of a book tour. I requested to join the tour because I wanted to read and review the book. All opinions are my own.

My heart went out to Sam! Such a great novel that brings awareness to posttraumatic disorder elements and sheds light on changes marriages suffer when dealing with war. In this case, Sam merging wartime with his present kept the suspense going when abnormal activity occurred. When nobody believed in what he claimed to see, he himself began to doubt himself and thought himself crazy. The tension in the novel picked up, and it was tough to put down at the end!!!

Occasionally, a story comes along where the setting is as strong a character as the hero or heroine. Sam’s Arkansas family farm is such a setting. The atmosphere is as thick and heavy as the nightmarish dealings in Sam’s head. As I turned pages, I pictured Shadows in the Mind’s Eye as a black and white movie in my head…

The first-person narration and rural vernacular really makes this story come alive. It sets the tone and gives it an authentic feel for this post WWII story. The dialogue is genuine and doesn’t feel forced or difficult to understand. But what really propels this story forward is the suspense. It’s a keeps-me-guessing kind of story that tempted me to speed through yet urged me to take the time to settle into these unique personalities. I love that the story deals with the aftereffects of war (PTSD) in a tasteful yet valid way.

There are so many wonderful characters in this story, but I connected the most with Sam and his mother, Dovie May. If I marked in books, I’d highlight numerous thought-provoking and potent things Dovie May said. “The same God who made rainbows and sunshine also made thunder and lightning. I have to believe He knows what He is doing.”

Disclosure: #CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book.
#ShadowsInTheMindsEye

This book shows a slice of life for a family in Post World War II in Hot Springs, AR. Sam returns from the War and struggles with readjusting to his every day life. He claims to see things that may or may not be there, and his family's safety hinges upon the truth he attempts to tell.

The attention to historical facts, family strife, and strong characters make this story an interesting read.

I was given a free copy of Shadow in the Mind's Eye: A Novel by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Shadows in the Mind’s Eye is a story of a broken soldier returning from war to a society nearly as broken as he was. And to a wife who’d long awaited the return of her husband—only to barely recognize him when he did. In every way.
This novel is a turn pager at its best. I can usually see twists coming, but Tromp left me guessing, surprising me on so many turns.
I love first person point-of-view novels, and this one is one of my new favorites. It also has so many other things I love in stories: mystery, suspense (and lots of it!), intrigue, awesome and well-developed characters, action, history, a love story, and so much redemption.
If you love clean and redemptive historical fiction novels that set you on the edge of your seat, you have to read Shadows in the Mind’s Eye. It releases April 19th, 2022.
5+ stars from me. I can’t wait until Janyre Tromp’s next release!

The cover of this book first caught my eye, then the first sentence tugged at my heart strings, “Darkness had long ago swallowed the Greyhound bus moving down the road so slow that it might as well have been going backward.”

I like how this author allowed readers to walk in the shoes of a worn-down, anxious, returning vet named Sam Mattas. He’s been away for three years. He’s missed so much, including, the birth of his baby girl, Rosie. He heads to his home; things are not as he remembered. Furthermore, he tells himself, “We’d be normal soon.” How long would that take? Charlotte Anne Mattas had the same ideas, but alas, nothing was the same and/or familiar. The war took three years of their lives. They didn’t know how to relate to each other anymore.

I love how this author whisked readers off to a hard time far away as family and friends try fill the gap. Then Sam notices strange things happening on his farm. His friends and family, blame it on his PTSD. Sam wonders if they are right. Was he going crazy? He heard of this happening to veterans.

Things get dangerous and Sam’s military mind and training kick into high gear. He knew something was wrong. He had to get proof. Charlotte loves her husband, but she’s heard stories of how war changes men. Who to trust?

I liked the natural spiritual thread woven into the story, Charlotte’s mother-in-law talks to her, …“It’s always been interesting to me how folks see the same exact thing (like rain) and see it so different. “But what if all you see is a flood rushing down and your ark’s sprung a leak?” I hated the whine in my voice, but Dovie May grinned like I’d got the answer right.”

“Sometimes you gets to choose what you see. And sometimes God uses broken things to save us.”…”Ain’t no light that can get through something solid. It sneaks through the broken places. Given our Sam a chance to show you, and I’ll bet you’ll like what you see.”

This is an intriguing, heart-felt story I couldn’t put down. I had to find out who done it and/if Sam was seeing real things or not. This story is filled with love, hope, and suspenseful situations. I enjoyed this family and, the natural spiritual thread with its larger-than-life characters.

I look forward to reading more by this debut author. There are discussion questions and in author notes she tells readers what is based on historical facts and those she made up to make the story work. This is a great escape and one that works for your next book club pick.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

This story deals with the aftermath of WWII, and a young man who comes home to his wife and a daughter he has never met. This could be any war, dealing with the trauma of being away at war, and how things have changed and yet remained the same.

Charlotte Anne Mattas has longed for her husband Sam to return to her and their Peach farm, and restart their family life together.

Something funny is going on on their farm and Sam wants to find out what! Will anyone believe him?

As we go along with the cast of character the author has gifted us with, you will be second guessing whom to trust and whom is really there to help.

This is a page turner, and now I am looking for more from this author!

I received this book through Read With Audra and the Publisher Kregel, and was not required to give a positive review.

Shadows in the Mind's Eye by Janyre Tromp
This story is about Sam and he's just returning from the war with a lot of PTSD problems.
His wife Annie has a few tricks she's learned to ease the pain from him. I was hoping to learn these techniques to help others and they do work.
When he's out and about the family's orchard grounds because he hears noises and sees shadows he is in fight mode, maneuvers he never forgets.
He sees and hears too much and others harm him. Annie doesn't believe he's hallucinating. Over time Sam has put himself where he shouldn’t be and Annie helps him to leave the area to hide out.
Her dad is helping but he never told her things that happened in the past that really put her in harm's way.
Like how the escape goes and how others have come to seek them out to help. Others who she thought were friends are there to harm her. Love that Sam had taught her how to take care of herself and their daughter Rosie and to keep them safe til he can go to them.
Annie retains the knowledge and has no clue about the drugs and who they've effected.
Like learning all the details of the things in the past, Sam's best friend Doc and his own brother Pete try to help but they get injured.
Wild adventures in Arkansas. Lots of resource material at the end and acknowledgements and about the author are included.
Received this review copy via Kregel Publications via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#ShadowsintheMindsEyeANovel #NetGalley

We all bear burdens, but Charlotte Anne Mattas doesn’t know how much longer she can bear up under hers. She holds on, though, knowing her beloved husband Sam will return from the war any day now. He served his country in the Pacific theatre while Annie and her mother-in-law kept the farm and orchards from going under.

Annie expects to pick up where she and Sam left off—but Sam seems fundamentally changed by the horrors of war. Can Annie hold on just a little longer, while Sam works through the unseen war wounds that torture his sleep? Will she find a seed of faith and use it to hold their marriage together?

Sam Mattas knows the war has marked him in unseen ways. Ways deeper than the wound in his shoulder. Nightmares pulse through him in the darkness, and a sound, glance, or word can bring the nightmares leaping into his waking hours.

Annie doesn’t trust him, and Sam can barely trust himself. How can he take up the leadership of his family when his brain plays tricks on him at all hours? Sam fears nefarious elements have taken to using their farm for illegal activities, but no one else believes him. Not his wife, nor his brother, or his best friend, Doc.

As the web around the Mattas farm seems to tighten, Sam has no idea who he can turn to nor who he can trust.

Why I Loved This Book

Tromp delves into a unique era and location—post World War II and the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. When one thinks of organized crime, one imagines Chicago or New York City—not Hot Springs, AR. And while we now have a better understanding of PTSD, few people understood it before the 1980s—making the transition from soldier to civilian that much harder for servicemen.

Replete with family secrets, plot twists, and medical emergencies, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye will keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Fans of Rachel McMillian and Jamie Jo Wright will enjoy this debut from Janyre Tromp.

Haunting and poignant debut about learning to love and trust after enduring the trauma of war. A historic and accurate look at life for soldiers coming home to the life to they can't recognize. Plot was a bit easy to guess, but the writing kept the tension and pace! Enjoyed! #shadowinamindseye #jaynetromp #netgalley #goodreads

You know it’s going to be a good book when it sucks you in on the first page and you don’t want to put it down for most of the story. Janyre Tromp knows how to develop authentic and complex characters and keeps the tone and interest throughout the book. The action and suspense were well written. The story has a mystery, and I was unable to guess how it would play out. It definitely kept me interested.

Oh my goodness did this story - these characters - grab my attention AND heart! Tromp takes you on an amazing journey of intrigue, mystery, suspense, doubt, hope, and so much more. She had me guessing until the very end on SO many different things. Her characters - Annie and Sam especially - were exceptionally well-developed and real. I didn't stop thinking about them and all they were going through. An amazing debut - probably one of the best I have ever read. Janyre Tromp has a fan in me!

What An Excellent Debut Novel!
This was a page turner from the first chapter until the last that had me anxious to know how the story would end.

I liked how it was a multiple POV, as it gave a real depth to the story that you would have missed otherwise.

I enjoyed that even with the sadness that sometimes tinged the pages, there was a particular spotlight on how we can still choose to be joyful inspite of circumstances and that was beautiful!

A memorable quote that I really liked was:
“Wasn't no way of going forward if you're stuck gaping backward."

I absolutely hope the author chooses to revisit these characters in the future!

Due to the intense nature of the book's subjects (PTSD, Family Trauma) - it definitely is an older teen or adult read.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to leave a review positive or otherwise. All opinions expressed are my own.*

Shadows In The Mind’s Eye by Janyre Tromp is a compulsive historical Christian novel set at the end of World War II.
Returning soldiers do not always come home whole, whether physically or mentally. Janyre Tromp expertly portrays a character suffering from what we would today call PTSD. His fears are very real and may strike at any time. We see a love for family and a fear that he may hurt them when the visions come.
Love is the antidote to fear but sometimes professional help is needed for a mind left behind on the battlefield. “Seems like war had gotten hold of Sam like a terrier and wasn’t letting go.” In order to get well, a character needs to realise there is a problem.
There is the theme of the sins of the fathers as we see a character consumed by bitterness and determined that the innocent will pay.
How we live daily in our attitude is a choice. We can choose to wallow or we can choose joy. The choice is up to us. “You gots to choose joy… It’s where things is broke that joy shows through.”
The novel is written in two alternating points of view of a wife and her returning husband. It is written in the first tense enabling the reader to really understand the inner workings of the characters.
I really enjoyed Shadows In The Mind’s Eye. It was an all consuming read.
I received a free copy via Net Galley and Read With Audra. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

3.5
Sam has returned from World War II, not in the best of shape, and finds home isn't the way it used to be. He sees things and people no one else does. His wife, Annie, wants Sam back to normal. But there are things neither one of them understands. Yet.

This book as been described as Hitchcockian, and I must agree. Things happen that intrigue the reader a lot, and barrel along until the final page. This is a nice debut novel.

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via Net Galley.

Shadows in the Mind's Eye is Janyre Tromp's first novel, and wow, did she ever set the bar high for future books! Set in small-town Arkansas right after World War II, Shadows in the Mind's Eye is an epic and intense story that pulled me in right from the first line.

Sam has just returned from fighting a war, but the battle is far from over. He's jumpy, he isn't sure how to adjust to life with his wife and child, and now he's seeing things that nobody else seems to realize are there. Annie isn't sure what to think of the stranger that has replaced her husband. Their sweet daughter, Rosie, immediately embraces the daddy she's never met, but it isn't as simple for the ones who knew him before war scarred more than his body. Is the hero who saved her from the horror of her childhood still in there--or has the war stolen him forever?

I loved this book so much. Janyre kept it raw, real, and both heart-breaking and heart-mending at the same time. I really appreciated that mental health played a huge role in the plot, and that the author didn't shy away from the hard topics. The character's trust in God was beautiful to see, and I especially enjoyed Dovie May's wisdom throughout the story. As much as I loved both Sam and Annie, Dovie May was my favourite character, hands down. I'll leave a few of my favourite quotes here:

"Joy...it sneaks in all around where things is broke, sticks it all together, and finds a way to make you whole. It's where things is broke that the joy shows through."

"Sometimes you gots to choose what you see. And sometimes God uses broken things to save us."

Shadows in the Mind's Eye gets an easy 5/5 stars from me, and I'll be impatiently awaiting future books from Janyre. If you enjoy historical fiction, you won't want to miss this one.

*I received a complimentary copy of Shadows in the Mind's Eye through the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My positive review is not required.

“We never want to travel beyond the point where everybody’s happy. But life’s everything after, and the question is, what are you going to do with the truth life drops in your lap?”

Loved this quote from this World War II era story that begins with the “everything after.” Sam is returning home after serving in the Pacific theater, and it quickly becomes evident to his wife that this is not the same reliable, steady man she said goodbye to a few years earlier. As much as she wants to trust him, when he starts seeing people in the hills surrounding their farm, she can’t help question whether he’s losing his mind.

I loved how this story played out like a classic film noir inside my head as I read it. It put me in mind of movies like Suspicion or Bad Day at Black Rock. And the Hot Springs, Arkansas setting added another layer of intrigue I enjoyed due to its history for being a popular mobster hangout—something I didn’t know before this book. An entertaining read from start to finish!

Post WWII Hot Springs, Arkansas

Intense debut! The tension is thick in this novel told from the perspective of Sam, a Navy Veteran returning home after serving in the eastern theater and Annie, his wife.

Multiple layers in this tale. On the surface, there is the very real challenge of Sam and Annie resuming their marriage in the same home after years apart and the birth of a child. In addition, Sam believes something is amiss, however, many around him find that he is delusional.

Pages were turning as I raced to the end to find out what was really going on. One of my favorite characters was Sam's mother Dovie May.

Several hidden gem quotes in the pages such as this one "Sometime you gots to choose what you see. And sometimes God uses broken things to save us."

The cover is perfect for the novel.