Decanted by Linda Sheehan is a beautifully told atmospheric novel comprised of two interwoven stories set mostly in the vineyards of France. It’s a story about love, heartbreak, redemption, resilience, courage, and the intriguing world of wine. |
Crystal Chronicles – Flame of the Fallen, by Dyon Whiteley, is an epic tale based in the futuristic fantasy Kingdom of Orericite. Many years after humans played a part in destroying organic earth, inorganic creatures - morphed from earth's stone and metallic ore - battle for control of the land leftover. Whiteley kicks off his story in a dismal dark world where the inhabitants are about to engage in a violent civil war. With beautiful descriptions and memorable characters, Whiteley masterfully provides commentary on the politics, habits, and the ways of his fantastical creatures that are the new rulers of earth. An utterly gripping saga that is written in the first person in a way that pulls you into the "alien" perspective by the assumption that this perspective is "normal." The fun of reading Whiteley's novel is that somehow, he manages to think of and describe these malevolent entities that equal the surrealistic creatures and nightmare landscapes that HR Giger conceived in drawings. There is also a considerable amount of gore and cruelty in the novel that is written in such a way that pulls at your emotions.
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In his book, Touching Gently, A Memoir, Charles Hargrove had the unique ability to welcome the reader to the culture and times living in Southern California in the 1930s. He takes the reader on a journey beginning with his childhood, which included loving parents, horses, boy scouts, a teenage romance, acceptance into the right crowd at school, a job in the family business, his first heartbreak, and a chance at an acting career. Hargrove’s memoir continues with detailed vignettes of his experiences in college, meeting the love of his life, Joan Von Euer and his stint in the Navy during the Korean War. Serving as a Quartermaster on a destroyer, he writes vivid descriptions of life aboard the USS Halsey Powell: sleeping in narrow bunks stacked three feet high, rough seas and seasickness. |
Chris Leibig’s 2016 PenCraft award-winning novel Almost Mortal ended with defense attorney Samson Young, having just learned that his client Camille Paradisi had risen from the dead after being brutally shot to death in front of the Bennett County Courthouse, agrees to represent her and the other descendants of the Fallen Angels in their plea for redemption. In this sequel, Almost Damned, Sam seeks to keep his commitment. But how? Samson Young is a criminal defense attorney with an office in contemporary Washington, DC. He is struggling to handle several legal cases that seem to be mysteriously interconnected. The intense opening court scene sets the stage for drama and suspense that keeps the reader guessing until the last page.
Astrid Sims is a new girl in town. The Gotten, by Rob Tucker, is a young adult novel that introduces a precocious thirteen-year-old British girl into the world of pre-teen boys. Set in the 1950s in a small Mid-west town, Astrid’s intimidating personality, intellect and boldness set her apart from the other girls. She self-assuredly inserts herself into a clique of four boys, Ray Kern, Eddie Devito, Steven Tilman, and Clement Petersen. Although they resent her for including herself in their social circle, she ingratiates herself by contributing a doorbell to the boys’ tree fort. She says the bell is magical and introduces a game she called, “ring if you dare.”
Astrid impresses the boys with her world of imagination by installing the doorbell on their tree fort. She starts a rumor that if a person rings the bell with a question in mind, the bell will provide an answer. Does it really have that power?
Suddenly the boys and Astrid disappear, causing chaos in the small community. The police, news media, and parents become involved in searching for the boys and Astrid. Rumors fly. They question if she is a witch who has control of the future?
Beyond Revelation by John Hazen is the third novel in his Francine Vega Investigative Thriller series. Told in the first person by Francine Vega, a TV journalist in New York City. She is as much a detective as she is a reporter. |
Judy Bruce's Torment in the Wind is the seventh installment of the Wind Series. Megan Docket, who is a small-town attorney, is the surprisingly endearing protagonist of the series. Her preferred legal practice is estate planning, wills, and tort cases, but unfortunately, she repeatedly finds herself serving in criminal cases. She also is a gifted yet troubled female detective. A threatening letter mailed from the state of Nevada sets off a series of revelations that unearths deep secrets, and Bruce's layered approach gives the book more than enough plot points to keep the novel exciting. Bruce's choice to reveal the possible villain's identities and peel back the layers of their family lives creates an atmosphere full of ominous suspense. Which one of them is the real villain in this story? Which one of them is out to kill Megan?
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The Enigma Threat by Charles V, Breakfield & Roxanne E. Burkey starts off with their iconic supercomputer ICABOD being targeted for destruction by CESPOOL, a UN-sanctioned agency charged with the responsibility of finding all independently owned AI-enhanced supercomputers and destroying them. Tragically the R-Group is unable to stop ICABOD’s demise and the arrest of Quip. Their old nemesis, the MAG, celebrate this turn of events. For readers of the Enigma series, the end of the iconic ICABOD is a sad development. |
Farm Boy, City Girl: From Gene to Miss Gina, by John “Gene” Dawson, is a riveting tell-all memoir that includes intimate details of growing up on share-cropper farms in Iowa during the Tryin’ Thirties. Gene experienced many backbreaking chores as the oldest son of a farmer struggling to make-a-living for his family during the depression, dustbowl, and drought. His recollections provide vivid historical references to the living conditions and farming practices in the 1930s and even information for today’s scientists studying global warming. |
One Boy's War, by Nancy McDonald, is the anticipated sequel to Boy from Berlin. These young adult novels are true-to-life adventures inspired by historical events. The plot of One Boy's War follows the exploits and struggles of ten-year-old Kafer Avigdor as he and his family strive to survive war-torn Europe in 1940. |
CC's Road Home, by Leah B. Eskine, is a young adult novel that takes place in the early sixties. It is a story about teenage pregnancy in an era where the subject was gingerly tiptoed around. Back then, shame would rain down even on a family of any young pregnant unwed girl.
Eskine's beginning chapters captivates the reader who'll wonder why an estranged, alcoholic mother would be abandoning her teenage daughter. The protagonist, Cicely, also known as CC, is a sixteen-year-old girl from New Orleans whose mother is leaving her in Ruston, Louisiana, a small town in the northern part of the state. It isn't total abandonment; she is just relinquishing Cicely to the grandparents who own a small farm. It is a safe place where Cicely can hide away while she takes care of her problem. Back then, pregnant teens — unlike today — had no choice. They were kicked out of school, and if they were also employed, they were terminated. Where was a 16-year-old girl to turn?