Book Awards, Editorial Reviews & More!
Book Awards, Editorial Reviews & More!
America in the late 1940s is a nation characterized by significant transformation and unwavering resilience. Nobody feels this more keenly than Laura Schmitt, a sensible young woman working as an au pair for a powerful Russian family. Both an immigrant and an orphan, Laura has become adept at overcoming challenges in her twenty years. Though […]
A heartening tale about ordinary people thriving under extraordinary circumstances. Local lore tells the tale of an unfaithful wife, Wairaka, who paid for her infidelities by being cast into rock. Six centuries have passed and the stone lookout at Wairaka Point still stands, watching over Nick James and his family home. It is sometime in
A beautiful story of loyalty and tenacity. They may share a similar upbringing, but cousins Cate and Albie couldn’t be more different. As kids, they go to the same Catholic school, play together, and have friends in common. But that doesn’t mean they have the same ideas on how the world should work. Cate isn’t
A balanced tale that remains refreshingly optimistic. Seattle wasn’t always home to grunge bands, the Space Needle, and soy lattes. In the 1940s, northwestern Washington was known for gasoline shortages, scrap drives, blackouts, and relocation assembly centers. Amid this turbulent landscape is young Scotty Johannsen, the quintessential teenage American boy finding his place in the
Interesting character dynamics deftly steer this slow-build military mystery. Eddie Profar used to imagine his future as a golden rock star, but his reality is a grudging draftee forced to freeze off his extremities near the DMZ. Teenage dreams usurped, Eddie adapts as well as anyone can to subzero Korean weather, forced proximity to strangers,
A generous coming-of-age story that grants a broader perspective on the world. Jinka Ethiopia is home to a group of friends whose bonds will last a lifetime. They may not have similar home lives or come from the same family, but they have more in common than not, especially as their respective journeys take them
Action, tension, treachery, and romance harmonize beautifully. Legendary First Knight of Camelot, famed Sir Lancelot Du Lac is an inspiring figure and a worthy mentor, but he is not the hero of this tale. No, this is the story of a spirited princess and a love her station in life forbids. Ill health has beset
Classic styling is upgraded with contemporary storytelling, resulting in a lovely novel that appeals to a wide audience. While spending a month visiting a family friend in a lovely seaside town, Miss Elizabeth Bennet takes full advantage of the refreshing change in scenery. Between walks on the beach, time spent with Aunt Gardiner, and introductions
A brilliant character study and an example of thunderous storytelling. Even heroes eventually succumb to old age and infirmity, but that inevitability doesn’t make it easy to watch. Frank Sinatra’s decline had been widely publicized, and though his passing isn’t a total shock to the public, the loss is still an immense blow. For 40-year-old
When studying the modern history of our world, it is impossible to exclude war from the curriculum. Stemming from religious and political divisions to run-of-the-mill selfishness, war has been a driving force behind almost every land and nation. Military veteran Will knows this firsthand. A Marine who served in Vietnam, Will struggles to accept the
A novel that will wholly transport you to another time and place. There is more to Holden Thompson than meets the eye, though he is quite fetching to behold. Recuperating from mental and physical battlefield wounds collected toward the end of the First World War, he decides to spend some time catching up with his
Greta and Aleksander Kristoff escaped Russia at just the right time. History’s Bloody Sunday is all the impetus needed for this courageous family to leave everything behind in the hopes of a better life. Emigrating to America in pursuit of freedom, however, is not without trouble. Whether harassment from gangsters, the pain of separation, or
A delicate treat infused with glittering Roman sunshine. An enduring feature of the Eternal City, the Palazzo Brancaccio has been a landmark for some 120 years. For Sophie Nouri, it’s been over a decade since she last experienced the sights and sounds of Rome, but a speaking engagement brings her back to the city and
Will leave an annoying song stuck in your head and a smirk plastered on your face. Elvin is one angsty elf, but in all fairness, he’s seen a lot of shady things and has even been party to more than a few himself. If his many decades living under the influence of peppermint sticks and
An utterly delightful novel that maps out a moving journey. Without her permission, Karen Whittington has unceremoniously become a woman of a certain age, someone staring into the eye of looming retirement. Looking forward to leaving her library job and routine about as much as a root canal, Karen still has lots of life ahead
The perfect mix of optimism, transformation, ingenuity, and whimsy. In the summer of 1893, the widow Juna Lewis is granted the opportunity of a lifetime, a trip to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, courtesy of her sometimes prickly, yet always practical, father-in-law. Filled with equal parts apprehension and excitement, Juna packs her bags and
An intriguing story where good and bad overlap. Seventeen-year-old Tudor seems unbothered by convention. Despite the tendentious rules governing society, this 19th century Romanian boy manages to break from tradition at every opportunity. His closest friends, a well-off Hungarian and a compassionate gypsy, are civically inappropriate companions for this young man of humble means. But
The Regency era novel your heart has been yearning for. With his dear sister in a state of despondency after the vile advances of the audacious Mr. Wickham, Fitzwilliam Darcy leans into the familial obligations and expectations imposed by his shrewd father. Wanting to avoid the grave misjudgement of character the senior Mr. Darcy made,
An inexorable tale of unabridged entanglement. The once powerful Morholt has been vanquished, but the Black Widow Queen is only just beginning her reign of terror. Executing a plan to overthrow an evil ruler takes skill, finesse, planning, and a sizable contingent of noble warriors. With the unwavering support of brave Lancelot and her own
A deceptively simple yet utterly timeless tale of immense passion, subtle grace, and dark intentions. Not quite of marriageable age herself, Issylte is exposed to a new feminine influence in the royal household when her father, the widower King Donnchadh of Ireland, weds imperious Princess Morag of Scotland. With ambition coursing through her icy veins,
An unvarnished coming-of-age story set in a time of geopolitical unrest. Approaching the teenage years is never without trouble, but growing up in an era of random air-raid drills and looming nuclear attacks adds a constant haze of dread for 12-year-old Willie Blevin. Having lost his parents at a young age, Willie is left with
A dramatic fantasy novel driven by strong characters. Isen Prison is the most dreaded detention facility in all of Gurmanis, a reputation the institution has earned through years of forced labor, inhumane conditions, and unconcealed torture and cruelty. Home to rapists, murderers, enemies of the state, and every sort of criminal imaginable, the prison’s inhabitants
An enchanting collection of beautifully written short stories. Tales Untold: Mythos Around the World is a mesmerizing collection of 15 intelligent short stories that pay homage to local legends and tall tales from diverse cultures across the planet. Stories range from ageless mythologies to the modern macabre, but all feature characters that are meticulously well
Roberts deftly reshapes known history into exciting new territory. Quintus Sertorius is a man on a mission. Tired of the domination and influence of the Republic, he follows in his Roman father’s rebellious footsteps. Unsatisfied with nothing less than freedom for Iberia, Quintus lays plans for an assault and raises a formidable army. These actions
