5/5 STARS!

Signatures by Lucas Alves delves into the transformative journey of a seasoned author who, plagued by a loss of direction and waning motivation to write, finds himself seeking solace at a horse ranch. During his sojourn, he develops a profound bond with the ranch's proprietor, an equally accomplished writer. Through this unique connection, Signatures serves as a poignant reminder of the significance of friends who, albeit present for a fleeting period, contribute immensely to personal growth and development.

Signatures is a touching story because, throughout our journeys in life, we encounter individuals whose presence, albeit brief, leaves an indelible imprint on our lives. These remarkable individuals extend their unwavering support towards our aspirations, assist us in overcoming challenges, and ignite within us an enduring motivation for self-improvement. Their impact resonates deeply, reminding us of the profound influence that can be wielded by those who grace our lives, regardless of the brevity of their presence.

Lucas Alves has an influential writing style that captivates readers. With his concise prose and economical use of language, Alves' writing style embraced a remarkable combination of simplicity and depth. Alves writes sentences that are often succinct, direct, and devoid of unnecessary embellishments. He skillfully employed short, declarative sentences that communicated a sense of immediacy, lending a powerful impact to his narratives. By eschewing verbosity, he achieved a sense of clarity and brevity, allowing readers to immerse themselves fully in his stories.

4/5 STARS!

First and foremost I would like to thank Mr. Alves for sending me an ARC of his novel.
This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.

This is a story about a writer who falls on hard times and how he got the chance to get back on the straight and narrow.

This book touches on a lot of subjects I feel us as humans can relate to. It talks about the one thing that almost every single person in this world fears; failure. We have all wondered what would happen if we started on a new journey or perhaps continued on one we had already started and at some point fell flat on our face. In fact, that exact thing has happened to many of us and we fall into a rut wondering when/if we will ever get out of it. It takes a look at what hitting rock bottom looks like and what we are capable of doing to survive and push forward. It also plays on the fear of wondering what if were just never that good at what we were doing and if it is even worth trying again.

This story also had me thinking about the people we meet in our lives, even for just a moment and how they were put there for a reason. It looks at how even a person we met in passing can end up changing our lives forever and for the better. It showed a world where a person who owed someone absolutely nothing reached out a helping hand with kindness and made me with that the world was always like that. We never know how even the smallest act of good could change the course of someone's day or life. That's always something that we should keep in mind and the tale of down on his luck author Landon Cassidy reinforced that.

Another fear this story played on was that of not belonging and having someone confirm that. We all yearn to belong somewhere in this world. We all want to believe that we have a purpose. Sometimes we land somewhere and wonder where are place is in that situation and sometimes people use harsh words to explain that we were never supposed to be there in the first place. If even for only a second, this story touches on that.

This is a tale of finding kindness, friendships, and love in the most unlikely of places. It is also a tale of losing that love permanently and friendships slowly becoming something of the past. The characters are lovely with both serious and more light hearted sides. The story is very thought-provoking and emotional. The writing is fluid and the journey flows together nicely from start to finish.

There is also a dog in it and hello, who doesn't love an adorable dog?

I do recommend that you check out this book and take part in this world. Where you will find that in the end things always fall into place.

It also takes place in my home state of Maryland very close to my hometown and that's a plus in my book. :)

4/5 STARS!

Landon Cassidy is a writer, trying to find himself. He doesn’t have much, but Maple, his black and white mutt, and a desire to put his words on a page for others to read – and a world to explore and see. His chance encounter with a literary giant gives him the insights he needs, along with more characters to open his world to more than he would ever expect.

Who was Landon Cassidy?

Where was he going to take us readers?

Were we ready to appreciate his journey?

As readers we are invited on this journey watching him interact with a variety of characters, while he explores, and discovers himself along the way.

Landon seems to walk through life, an observer, sometimes as if he is looking from the outside in.

And in the process, he meets people who help and guide and give and provide – kindness and friendship and support. And who doesn’t need that when we are trying to find our way?

And, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t give and learn from these experiences, too.

And by the end of his journey, as readers we can see he has succeeded at his craft, still traveling light, and on his own.

How did he get to this point?

Alves’ words are fiercely descriptive…he opens with…

“The sun casted a translucent fog over the fertile Texas hills. Bulbous and cobalt. Earthworms, flecked with dirt, drawn out by the inviting rains, writhed across the torrid pavement. Blue jays and blackbirds sang in dulcet notes…”

As readers we could feel ourselves present within the story.

Like the keyboard depicted on the cover of the book, Alves taps out his words throughout the story, challenging readers to ask Landon to break a smile, or cry a tear – because that is the time, we like him best.

Like knowing how important his dog, Maple is to him. Even if it is just listening for Maple’s collar chime to know that it is time for Landon to leave his bed.

Landon’s movements are always deliberate, and we are sometimes patient as we watch for them.

This was a wonderful debut novel from a natural storyteller.

I want to thank the author for this complimentary book in exchange for an honest review.