Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

Simple
Alex Marcoux's debut novel in the lesbian arena was simply written and easy to read.

Sydney Marcum's character is developed thoroughly.

Facades covers topics like rape, abuse, etc....you know all the topics which deal with children and women.

Well written.I loved it and couldn't put it down.

Trite and Adolescent
I was looking forward to reading this book, but was highly disappointed by the trite and adolescent writing.The story was good, but a freshman in high school could have written it more eloquently.In addition to an immature writing style and poor editing, the story had many distracting sidelines.I'm surprised so many others rated it 5 stars, because this wasn't worth my time to read.

A readable novel with characters who draw the reader in
Sidney Marcum, founder and president of Marcum Promotions, Inc., is a personal manager for musical groups and singers. For more than a decade she has specialized in taking unknown talent and making it a success. Anastasia, the beautiful, sensual, talented singer-songwriter, is struggling with her flagging professional career while attempting to balance her personal relationship with Stephanie and a life with the closet door open. After a series of unfortunate publicity incidents, the singer approaches Sidney for management help to reclaim her superstar status. Sidney advises Anastasia to reenter the closet and create a straight public persona or "facade" to reconnect with her straight audience. The relationship these two women develop over the next two years is an interesting and cautious one. The publicity campaign that Sidney orchestrates for Anastasia's comeback is a fascinating story alone. Marcoux uses the "facade" analogy to represent both that constructed public entertainment persona as well as the face of a closeted lesbian. However, set primarily around 1993, with flashbacks to the early 1980s, Facades is more complicated than the thematic analogy implies. Marcoux also deals with spousal abuse (heterosexual and lesbian), sexual assault, child custody issues for previously married lesbians like Sidney, blackmail and reincarnation. In addition to the above issues, Anastasia performs in Denver during the Boycott after Amendment 2. [An Amendment to the Colorado constitution that would disallow any municipal government to grant civil rights protection based on sexual orientation, which the US Supreme Court struck down.] She uses her concert as an opportunity to question the Religious Right and A2 supporters. If it's starting to sound as though Marcoux is juggling a lot of themes in this book, you're right. While most of the story lines are tied up at the end, the reincarnation theme is never fully developed. It is hinted at throughout the novel and yet doesn't seem to fit. In fairness, many of the themes are interconnected. Overall this is a pleasantly readable novel with characters who draw the reader into the story. As a lesbian love story, Facades is rather chaste. The characters and the writing make Facades a novel worth reading. Marcoux does not shy away from controversial issues, in the lesbian & gay community or the majority society. Acutally it is that willingness to address sensitive socio/political issues around sexism, homophobia and violence that makes this a good a novel to loan to a straight friend. Facades is the first novel from Marcoux, a Colorado resident. Hopefully there will be future novels that allow Marcoux to pay more attention to tightening her plot lines.

Don't miss this book!
Have about two or three hours of your life to give away doing nothing but being lost in a good book? Then get ready to do exactly that minutes after you pick up this one! Facades, by newcomer Alex Marcoux, is one of the best new novels I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time! From the moment I picked up the book, I found myself simply fascinated with the characters Marcoux brought to life within the pages, transfixed with the skillfully woven storyline, and didn't put it down until several hours later!

The core character, Sidney Marcum, personal manager extraordinaire, is a dynamo. Smart, driven, hot shot professional with a fiercely guarded past, Sidney exudes a sort of bitchiness attributed to strong, powerful women. However, anyone with a little bit of insight can see it is nothing but a "facade," created to ward off the most prying eyes. Yet Marcoux wisely doesn't give it to you all at once. She draws you into the web of Sidney's life, making you turn the pages, delving deeper into Sidney's psyche, her angst, the hidden secrets of her past. Marcoux skillfully segues past events of Sidney's life with present moments, much like Rita Mae Brown did so well with Six of One, another of this writer's favorites...

What a find
As an avid reader, one of the rarest treats is when you discover a first time novelist with fresh voice. A voice that instantly engages your interest and never lets you go. That is what I found in Alex Marcoux and her wonderful novel Facades.

As a man, I have not read any "lesbian" novels. When a friend asked me to, with apprehension, I did. I must confess that once I started, I could not put it down. Filled with surprises, Alex Marcoux crafts a compelling story of the music industry with main characters so appealing, it's painstaking to see what masks they must hide behind to achieve professional success, at the cost of personal happiness.

What makes Facades so absorbing is the brutal simplicity in which it is written. The author has a knack of painting a full, rich picture with a minimum of words. What a treat... and a sad and poignant glimpse into living a closeted lifestyle. ... Read more

Product Description
"Alex Marcoux ... trumps The DaVinci Code" —Inside Out Hudson Valley

Conspiracy theorists, murder-mystery fans, sci-fi or fantasy devotees, paranormal prac- titioners, and armchair Egyptologists, have I got a book for you! In A Matter of Degrees, author Alex Marcoux—who has been called the "lesbian Dan Brown"— trumps The Da Vinci Code because she doesn’t just take on the Vatican and the Sacred Feminine, but builds on the anti-Biblical and the seemingly interconnected world of fraternal organizations, including the oldest and largest: the Freemasons. Marcoux challenges the powers that be through her recurring character, the precognitive novelist Jessie Mercer, whom readers might have met in FaÁades and/or Back to Salem—but it’s not necessary to have read either of these previous novels to get caught up in this one. (Jessie’s lover, the singer Taylor Andrews, spends most of the book off on a world tour.) The book allows us a glimpse into the secretive world of the Masons: the ritual of arcane handshakes; the progression through different degrees, leading to the knowledge of "the light"; and the strong bonding among Masons. Marcoux does leave out some of the more interesting facts, such as the teachings of the Kabbalah being a source of many of the Masonic mystical and philosophical beliefs. But she doesn’t flinch when writing about some of the more controversial aspects of the Masons—that the order is likened to a religion, and that some have called the Masons anti-Christian. Marcoux’s story is premised on the horrific oaths taken by the Masons not to reveal any of their secrets as they progress through each degree toward the 33rd, the highest degree of enlightenment. From this premise, the author weaves a tale of control of world power from the beginning of civilization to current times, which Jessie unravels as she investigates the murder of her brother, a Mason who was about to reveal the order’s secrets to his colleague and soon-to-be love interest, Rachel. Marcoux does a brilliant job of snagging even the most reluctant reader in the intrigue, in ancient myths and history, in the grand-conspiracy theory of world control that, even after nearly 300 pages, you hate to have her wrap up. — JoAnne Myers It's the ULTIMATE CONSPIRACY . . . and it's about to unfold . . .

Novelist Jessie Mercer has always had the gift of precognition. Shortly after she conjures up the idea for her newest book, The Ultimate Conspiracy, she is drawn into a web of conspiracy, intrigue, and murder. Bits of a previous life in the far-distant past are slowly revealed, uncovering ancient secrets that connect Egyptian pharaohs, the Freemasons, the Knights Templar, Mary Magdalene, the Sumerians, the Roman Catholic Church, the devil, and even God. For Jessie's story, it turns out, began in ancient Egypt and has woven its thread through the tapestry of human history—only to come to an astonishing climax in modern America.

In A Matter of Degrees, Jessie meets Rachel Addison, field reporter for a respectable television newsmagazine. Rachel, involved in a controversial project that connects secret societies with well-known politicians, receives a warning in no uncertain terms to drop the project and forget the story. Then her car's brakes are sabotaged and she is nearly killed. And Jessie's brother Steve—another reporter on Rachel's show—is murdered, yet the police seem determined to rule his death a suicide. Rachel wants to back away from the deadly mystery, but for Jessie the desire to investigate is impossible to overcome.

Now Jessie must utterly change her appearance to infiltrate the all-male ranks of Freemasonry. Once inside, she finds elaborate arcane rituals, cloaked meetings, and clues to an ancient royal secret—which is the ultimate conspiracy! And people all around her—good people—are dying under mysterious circumstances as the Masonic circle closes. Not only that, but the seemingly unshakeable love between Jessie and songstress Taylor Andrews is threatened.

As Jessie struggles to solve the riddle and blow the conspiracy apart, the ancient secrets she discovers draw her further and further into a trap set centuries ago. The answers are there—it's up to her to uncover them in A Matter of Degrees.

Fans of Alex Marcoux's previous novels Façades and Back to Salem will be enthralled by this spellbinding new novel, which heralds the return of her well-loved characters Jessie and Taylor, along with high-powered talent agent Sidney Marcum. And readers unfamiliar with her work, especially those whose interest was piqued by Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, will revel in A Matter of Degrees, which takes the story of world control by secret societies and the Catholic Church to a whole new level. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

disappointing, after all the hype
All in all, this book was dull and devoid of energy. The plot was convoluted, unnecessarily so in my opinion, and by the end felt like it was made so complex to cover up the lack of character development and growth. I felt no compulsion to keep reading because I pretty much knew how it would end. The characters felt like puppets being frogmarched through the plot-- there was no symbiosis between plot and character, no connection.

Part of this is because characterization is so poor: characters' motivation are all either altruistic (in the case of the protagonists) or entirely dastardly (in the case of the conspiricists). The leads are too perfect-- too attractive, too clever, too talented. Their relationship is too perfect, as well, an idyllic little dynamic that doesn't feel remotely realistic when tensions are high and the pressure is on. And the antagonists are all evil bad guys without any redeeming or at least human qualities whatsoever. I almost expected them to start twirling the ends of their moustaches, a la Snidely Whiplash.

Both narration and dialogue are wooden, and description of setting is either rote and dull-- reading like a decor magazine-- or nonexistent altogether. There's little blocking (telling us what people are doing with their bodies as they speak, body language, etc). There's too much "telling" instead of "showing", and characters' introspection lacks a sense of authentic emotion. We don't get the feeling that we're granted access to the person's thoughts, so much as we're being informed what they're thinking. It's a subtle but dramatic and important difference.

Careful attention to creating a more visceral experience-- making the reader *feel* the danger, the heightened emotions-- would have made this story come alive. But as so often happens in mystery series written by a less-deft hand, situations and characters feel artificial, created to give the protagonist(s) something to do, rather than having the entire situation arise in a more organic and natural-feeling way.

A bit of a slow starter - really three and a half stars.
Marcoux is an excellent writer, but the setup on this one was a bit slow.It did keep me reading, although I didn't find it a page-turner.About one third of the way in, the pace picked up and I found it harder to put down.Jessie Mercer is a complex and interesting writer/woman with some paranormal talents and the ability to tap into other levels of being; this makes her life complicated when her novels and research foreshadow events in her life.In this book she meeets many beings from her past lives and becomes entangled in their machinations.Hard to believe?Yes, but fascinating reading.One more look at the Merovingian 'heresy', but it isn't the focus of the book.It will be interesting to see where Marcoux takes Mercer from here.

Move over Dan Brown
This is so much better than the "DaVinci Code".

Jessie Mercer knows her brother, Steve wouldn't kill himself.Rachel Addison knows Steve was murdered just like her father.But how do you prove it.

What would you say to a 10th planet located between Mars and Earth?This planet revolves around the sun in a strange pattern and runs parallel to Earth every 3600 years.When the 3600th year arrives, aliens from this 10th planet come to Earth to change our ways of life.

What would you say if all Noah had on his ark was DNA from all the species of the world?

What would you say if our creator wasn't God, but an alien named Kek?

If I was doing was Jessie and Rachel did in this book, I'd be scared to death.

This is a magnificently written and researched novel.The best yet from Marcoux and her other stuff is great also.

Too many conspiracies
How many conspiracy theories can one story accommodate?It seems that answering that question was one of Alex Marcoux's major objectives in writing the book.

A Matter of Degrees brings back Marcoux's heroine Jessie Mercer, a novelist who has the gift of precognition.Jessie often finds that she writes a story and then it comes true, with her in a starring role.This time, Jessie's brother Steve, a news reporter, is working with a colleague on a story about the Freemasons and their connections to other secret societies supposedly cooperating for world domination when he suddenly dies.The police believe it is suicide, but Jessie isn't sure about that, especially when incidents from her brother's life begin to mimic what is in her most recent story.She decides to assume a disguise as a man and find out what happened to her brother by becoming a Thirty-third Degree Mason.As the story unfolds, Jessie finds herself dealing with the Freemasons, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderbergers, the Roman Catholic Church, a story similar to the premise of The DaVinci Code, and flashbacks to a previous life in ancient Egypt. Even the Secret Service is portrayed as a surreptitious hit squad used to enforce the leader's wishes.She has to contend with all of this while she disappears from her own life for almost a year and keeps her lover songstress Taylor Andrews, who is on a world tour, from finding out what she is doing.The ending of the story culminates with a totally different conspiracy and puts Jessie in danger of losing her life.

A Matter of Degrees however stretches creditability well beyond the breaking point.The book has a slow start, perhaps because Marcoux lays a foundation based on the idea that all of the conspiracy theories in world history, including various assassinations, are not only true, but connected in a confusing pattern created by the people who really control the world.One conspiracy might seem logical; maybe two if the reader chooses to believe the current theory that says secret societies are linked in the New World Order.After a while though there are so many theories and suspicious circumstances that occur with no one being the wiser that it becomes impossible to accept the premise of the book.The end of the book is somewhat flat and predictable.A character that has been omniscient for thousands of years doesn't have the ability to see what is going to happen next.A Matter of Degrees is proof that more complex does not mean the story is better.

The Best One Yet! Simply fantastic!
Mix a little Dan Brown conspiracy with a little Philip K. Dick sci-fi and what do you get? A Matter of Degrees, the new blockbuster mystery thriller by Alex Marcoux! Weaving a genre-bending tale of conspiracy, cover-ups, and murder, Marcoux returns to the game with beloved characters from Façades and Back to Salem, bringing them together in an explosive mix of spine-tingling action! Devastated by her brother's unexplained suicide, Jessie Mercer launches a no-holds-barred investigation leading to a centuries-old conspiracy that threatens the very foundations of the world -- and Jessie's life! A Matter of Degrees is definitely an out-of-this-world read and should not be missed! --Sherry L. Stinson, outlookpress.com ... Read more

Product Description
Jessie Mercer has it all—fame, fortune, and abest-selling novel being made into a major motion picture starring thealluring Taylor Andrews.When disturbing, real-life events beginmimicking the movie's plot, Jessie and Taylor find themselves drawninto a cosmic web of passion, treachery, and deception that begancenturies ago!As the terror mounts, Jessie realizes she is thetarget and must go back—all the way back to Salem, where answers tothe mystery unfold—before the evil from the past destroys her! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Much better than I thought it would be
Back To Salem is Marcoux's second book and is significantly better than her first, Facades.The improvement is so significant that I wonder how Marcoux managed to get so much better so quickly.

Back to Salem is a psychic, past life, karmic cycle, new-age thriller. Normally I don't read much of this stuff, but it was on the top of the pile. The plot is farfetched.Really farfetched.Jessie Mercer is a best-selling lesbian author who writes a thriller about a woman who is framed for the murder of her girlfriend's husband.Years later, Jessie finds herself living out the plot.Turns out Jessie is a psychic & the book was actually a precognitive revelation of a karmic cycle that Jessie has played out through many lifetimes with the same souls, always leading to the same tragic ending.Can you suspend that much disbelief? If so, Back To Salem is well worth your time.

Marcoux's writing flows well & she does a nice job of moving the plot along.She handles the time-shifts to the Salem witch trials well.My biggest disappointment was that the ending is a bit rushed.However, this is a thriller, and like most of the genre, ends 10 pages after the big climax.

I think BTS is Marcoux's best book so far. I give it only four stars because I think Lauren Maddison does a better job with psychic, past life, karmic cycle, new-age thrillers.

Good, but frustrating
Again, Marcoux puts out a thriller.Unfortunately, I got lost in the middle and put it down.I started again and finished it in one sitting.

It was good, eerie,and wild.The dreams!

Enjoyable and Thought-Provoking Read...
I read Alex Marcoux's first book, 'Facades,' and was less than impressed.I had already purchased 'Back to Salem,' but because of my experience with 'Facades' it stayed on my bookshelf until a few days ago.I can't believe I let myself go without the pleasure of reading this book for so long!Marcoux makes incredible strides toward becoming a remarkable writer in this second book.

Jessie Mercer is a successful writer who begins to have very real dreams of a past life as a man.In her waking hours, she finds herself drawn to straight singer Taylor Andrews, a woman she hasn't even met.Was Taylor her wife in this previous life?Jessie's publisher sells the movie rights to one of her books and Taylor is cast in the leading role.The women become friends as a wild series of events, mirroring those in the movie/book, begins to occur.

The author does a wonderful job transitioning between present day and the past, and cleverly reveals Taylor's awareness of her link to Jessie's past.Other characters in the present and past also come to light.This is certainly one book I will recommend to my friends.

If you don't mind loose ends
If you don't mind if loose ends are left untied and that multiple timelines end up not quite matching up and that one of the main characters "isn't really a lesbian" then the plot of this book will work for you. I read it about a year ago and was really lukewarm toward it. Parts were exciting but it didn't work as a whole. I can't believe it ended up getting some award nominations; there are some holes you can drive a truck through. Plus I didn't see how the Egyptian timeline meshed at all with the Salem one. I felt like this was a nice try, but as someone else says, others have done this plot better. I would recommend Laura Adams' Christabel (a romance not a mystery), which does the timeline thing really well.

Has It All
This one has it all, a clever MYSTERY, a heart-filled ROMANCE, some HISTORY, an exciting ACTION ADVENTURE, and some interesting metaphysical lessons.GREAT MOVIE material!An exceptional story that keeps the reader interested. ... Read more

Product Description
Fiction. Gay/Lesbian Studies. When rumors surface that Anastasia is a lesbian, her successful singing career stumbles. The superstar turns to personal manager Sidney Marcum for help. Together, they construct a public facade for Anastasia that conceals her true self. Little does Anastasia know that Sidney has a fatade of her own, as she struggles to disentangle herself from her abusive husband. When outside forces threaten to destroy both their facades, each woman must decide if it's worth the risk to embrace what's truly in her heart. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Simple
Alex Marcoux's debut novel in the lesbian arena was simply written and easy to read.

Sydney Marcum's character is developed thoroughly.

Facades covers topics like rape, abuse, etc....you know all the topics which deal with children and women.

Well written.I loved it and couldn't put it down.

Trite and Adolescent
I was looking forward to reading this book, but was highly disappointed by the trite and adolescent writing.The story was good, but a freshman in high school could have written it more eloquently.In addition to an immature writing style and poor editing, the story had many distracting sidelines.I'm surprised so many others rated it 5 stars, because this wasn't worth my time to read.

A readable novel with characters who draw the reader in
Sidney Marcum, founder and president of Marcum Promotions, Inc., is a personal manager for musical groups and singers. For more than a decade she has specialized in taking unknown talent and making it a success. Anastasia, the beautiful, sensual, talented singer-songwriter, is struggling with her flagging professional career while attempting to balance her personal relationship with Stephanie and a life with the closet door open. After a series of unfortunate publicity incidents, the singer approaches Sidney for management help to reclaim her superstar status. Sidney advises Anastasia to reenter the closet and create a straight public persona or "facade" to reconnect with her straight audience. The relationship these two women develop over the next two years is an interesting and cautious one. The publicity campaign that Sidney orchestrates for Anastasia's comeback is a fascinating story alone. Marcoux uses the "facade" analogy to represent both that constructed public entertainment persona as well as the face of a closeted lesbian. However, set primarily around 1993, with flashbacks to the early 1980s, Facades is more complicated than the thematic analogy implies. Marcoux also deals with spousal abuse (heterosexual and lesbian), sexual assault, child custody issues for previously married lesbians like Sidney, blackmail and reincarnation. In addition to the above issues, Anastasia performs in Denver during the Boycott after Amendment 2. [An Amendment to the Colorado constitution that would disallow any municipal government to grant civil rights protection based on sexual orientation, which the US Supreme Court struck down.] She uses her concert as an opportunity to question the Religious Right and A2 supporters. If it's starting to sound as though Marcoux is juggling a lot of themes in this book, you're right. While most of the story lines are tied up at the end, the reincarnation theme is never fully developed. It is hinted at throughout the novel and yet doesn't seem to fit. In fairness, many of the themes are interconnected. Overall this is a pleasantly readable novel with characters who draw the reader into the story. As a lesbian love story, Facades is rather chaste. The characters and the writing make Facades a novel worth reading. Marcoux does not shy away from controversial issues, in the lesbian & gay community or the majority society. Acutally it is that willingness to address sensitive socio/political issues around sexism, homophobia and violence that makes this a good a novel to loan to a straight friend. Facades is the first novel from Marcoux, a Colorado resident. Hopefully there will be future novels that allow Marcoux to pay more attention to tightening her plot lines.

Don't miss this book!
Have about two or three hours of your life to give away doing nothing but being lost in a good book? Then get ready to do exactly that minutes after you pick up this one! Facades, by newcomer Alex Marcoux, is one of the best new novels I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time! From the moment I picked up the book, I found myself simply fascinated with the characters Marcoux brought to life within the pages, transfixed with the skillfully woven storyline, and didn't put it down until several hours later!

The core character, Sidney Marcum, personal manager extraordinaire, is a dynamo. Smart, driven, hot shot professional with a fiercely guarded past, Sidney exudes a sort of bitchiness attributed to strong, powerful women. However, anyone with a little bit of insight can see it is nothing but a "facade," created to ward off the most prying eyes. Yet Marcoux wisely doesn't give it to you all at once. She draws you into the web of Sidney's life, making you turn the pages, delving deeper into Sidney's psyche, her angst, the hidden secrets of her past. Marcoux skillfully segues past events of Sidney's life with present moments, much like Rita Mae Brown did so well with Six of One, another of this writer's favorites...

What a find
As an avid reader, one of the rarest treats is when you discover a first time novelist with fresh voice. A voice that instantly engages your interest and never lets you go. That is what I found in Alex Marcoux and her wonderful novel Facades.

As a man, I have not read any "lesbian" novels. When a friend asked me to, with apprehension, I did. I must confess that once I started, I could not put it down. Filled with surprises, Alex Marcoux crafts a compelling story of the music industry with main characters so appealing, it's painstaking to see what masks they must hide behind to achieve professional success, at the cost of personal happiness.

What makes Facades so absorbing is the brutal simplicity in which it is written. The author has a knack of painting a full, rich picture with a minimum of words. What a treat... and a sad and poignant glimpse into living a closeted lifestyle. ... Read more