Grainne knows exactly what her perfect man is like, the only problem is, her perfect man is getting married. Set in the Irish village of Ballydara, "Mother Love" is a story of family drama, Irish humor, and healing.
Fresh writing, lovable quirky characters, a good dose of randiness, peculiar situations (I have no idea how Ann Charles comes up with this stuff, but it makes for an entertaining read), and clever surprises at every twist and turn. An "Ex to Grind" keeps the laughs coming or the suspense building.
The allure of France helps to draw Katherine, a woman of a "certain age," out to explore and rediscover life’s pleasures along with the capacity to love again in this inspiring and satisfying novel.
"The Inheritors" by Judith Kirscht is a novel of one woman grappling to find her cultural and personal identity. Tolerance of others and the need for communication is required from each of us is an overriding theme in this latest work of Kirscht that explores the complexities of human nature and family bonds.
Clever dialogue, humor, and a healthy dose of romance between Alex and Jillian will surely delight romance readers. Providing a deft balance of romance and mystery, Eleanor Tatum plants intriguing clues and steadily builds suspense in a way that had this reviewer eagerly turning the pages to discover who is embezzling town funds and endangering the lives of its citizens.
Set in rural Mongolia, Diane Duca’s I Heard a Ram Call My Name sets up a moral standoff between predators and prey by detailing a single hunting expedition for the endangered argali sheep.
Interweaving human and […]
In the summer of 1941, a ship approaches Honolulu. Watching on deck is young Army Lt. Paul Van Vliet, a 1936 graduate of Cornell University who then joined the US Army Signal Corps, in which […]
"Waking Up Dying" is a blockbuster; a hit between the eyes. Duke challenges the reader to take those tortuous steps he has—feel his sorrow, elation and pain, walk his walk through the everyday rituals of care, and talk the talk of his analysis of much-needed system reform. This book is a must-read for caregivers. Be prepared for a mind-blowing, ultimately, illuminating and educational experience.
Kade Sims feels he has been unfairly dumped from his former position in Army Intelligence because of out-of-control behavior due to a condition called hypomania. He’s bored, out of shape, and stuck working part-time at Home Depot instead of at the Pentagon. So when the FBI knocks on his door of his Virginia apartment and asks him to go undercover in Oregon to infiltrate a mysterious quasi-militia group called The Chapter, he’s eager to go to work for his country again. "Measure of Danger," Jay Klages’ debut novel is a page-turning techno-thriller written by a former military intelligence officer and a West Point graduate.
This thriller’s premise of international corporations controlling the food supply and sacrificing human health for the sake of profits is so plausible that it is horrifying. Readers will find themselves rapidly turning the pages to see what happens next in this disturbing “OMG this could really happen” novel. A strong debut novel by Lawrence Verigin that adeptly tackles the pertinent and socially relevant topic of GMO’s with tight writing and fast-paced action.
Redirect
The mystery is set during the rough and tumble California mining days of 1869. Meg Mims vividly brings these times to life with her accurate historical research and her clear and striking imagery of bustling towns, dangerous quicksilver mines, and rugged landscapes. An entertaining Western mystery read with just the right amount of romance.
"Home Fires" is an intelligently written, fast-paced family drama that unfolds into a suspenseful page-turner. Although this novel masterfully renders the emotional hardships and tragedies that are sometimes part of dysfunctional relationships, it is not a depressing read.
Shakespearean charades and surprises ensue when one of the Chicago’s most prominent and most eligible young heiresses, Alexandra Schaffer, beguiles an up-and-coming young architect, Logan McConnell. Foshee adds elements of mystery and suspense, with a dash of ominous threats to this cozy romantic story that takes place in the shadows of Chicago World's Fair during the Gilded Age. An engaging historical novel that was well-researched and a pleasure for this reviewer to have read.
Slater juxtaposes the tragic with the darkly comic. He grabs our heartstrings even as he keeps us snorting with laughter at the probability that, yes, this is just what a group of random teens would do if suddenly thrust into this Apocalyptic world. He draws us into a familiar-yet-drastically-changed world and makes us care about his cranky, vulnerable, sometime-exasperating, always-engaging characters.
E.E. Holmes’ YA paranormal thriller starts out strong and just keeps getting stronger, revealing a storyline that’s believable in large part to its well-drawn characters, its accurate depiction of college life, and the familial compassion that surfaces along with the long-held secrets.
As chapter one begins, Rasmussen takes us back to June 1865 when the Gold Rush was in full swing, as Captain Phillip La Mar, in the wheelhouse of his stern-wheel riverboat, Jupiter, enters the day's events in the logbook. His major concern is that three crewmen have cholera—the deadly scourge of the riverboats that ply the Missouri River, carrying freight and passengers destined for Fort Benton (Montana) and the goldfields beyond.
What would it be like to discover two connected galaxies that The Big Bang theory says are impossible? Not many people have even imagined facing this question, but in "The Falling Sky" Pippa Goldschmidt takes readers into the mind of an astronomer whose research presents these findings. This conundrum creates a human drama as fraught with turmoil and heartache as any found in the best novels of any genre.
Elegant prose and impressive accumulation of knowledge focused on one thread of history that guides the readers through this fast-paced read of imperial Roman history: its cultural fascination with death; the depth and breadth of its bureaucracy; the military machine with its soldier emperors; and the use of force and intimidation to hold the empire together that fueled Rome’s insatiable need for taxation to maintain its bureaucracy and power base.
The novel cleverly documents the contradictory and conservative morals of the 1950s. Readers will experience a world where female college students have curfews and male students don’t, unmarried individuals are expected to know nothing about sex, and religious tension is often swept under the rug. This novel intelligently and authentically explores the true nature of humans against the standard of this era’s “traditional family values” that come on the heels of the two great wars.