⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meticulously researched, “October Storms” tells the tale of Louise Hawkes, a young woman living in central Illinois in 1897, with her two young children, Randall and Becca. The history of the time period comes alive beautifully in the author’s carefully detailed descriptions of the hardships, lifestyle, and communities that…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Fascinating and heart-breaking, this wonderful immersive look at the true-life experiences of a gypsy gospel child, raised in the deeply restrictive Pentecostal faith by ordained pastor parents, both of them musically talented, who practice their faith primarily through the participation and organization of traveling musical revivals that celebrate…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The gang is back - the second in the series featuring Clay Wolfe, Professional Investigator (because that happens to be what they call it in Maine); his partner, the beautiful and extremely capable Baylee; retired octogenarian and solicitor Gene, who also happens to be Clay’s Grandpops; and a posse…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “He hadn’t planned to say this thing, but it came upon him suddenly gargantuan and magnificent, like a whale breaching the glittering surface of the sea. “ Delicately laced with story intertwined with story, so authentic they appear to burst forth as if with a will of their own,…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ( Backstory: I have to confess - I love mysteries. Particularly British detective series. So I saved this book for a day I knew I would need a treat - and it’s fair to say I was not disappointed. So much so that I read this one straight through,…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Have you ever known an evil person to drink herbal tea?” That is just one of the interesting and hilarious questions our hero, momentarily known as Wendy Lockheart, a seventeen year old teen assassin, pauses to ponder as her crazy fireball of a life bursts its way forward, -…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What a hoot! A crazy cool ride through the fantastical world of Joshua N’Gon, a fifteen-year-old boy-man with mysterious princely origins, whose strange and wonderful powers hint at an epic purpose and mission yet to be realized. A wonderful mash up of Sci-fi (think the unbridled tech zaniness of…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Pablo Pinkerton is a middle-aged police officer, married 29 years to Delilah, with a lovely family consisting of 4 grown children and a gorgeous home in the British countryside that is an ongoing source of focus for his considerable DIY skills. Pablo is an outgoing man, large in…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 A nifty and chuckle-inducing sci-fi fable, sure to delight fans of Douglas Adams, and the Martha Wells “Murderbot” series. Nineteen year old Ruby is smart, ambitious, and has a thing about robots. That is to say, she hates them, actually, despises them with every cell of her being,…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Prepare to meet Dani Truehart, a fifteen year old “Rising Star” who just wants to sing and dance and feel the music carry her to a higher place. It’s what she was meant to do. If it all just wasn’t so complicated. Dani is a well-crafted, authentic and likable…