Reviews
Accustomed to the Dark
Thomas DeConna (Black Rose Writing)
In Accustomed to the Dark by Thomas DeConna, twenty-four-year-old journalist Jenny Smith scores a career-defining interview with reclusive author AJ Kenton. But instead of questions, their afternoons unfold as Kenton shares a transformative story from his youth. This coming-of-age novel deftly captures the struggles and triumphs of adolescence through the eyes of 13-year-old AJ. Set in a small suburban town during the 1960s, the narrative begins with AJ’s simple ambition to sell flower seeds to purchase an art set. However, his journey takes on...
Milo Finds His Forever Home
Steve and Nancy Devon (Giving Tree Books)
Milo Finds His Forever Home by Steve and Nancy Devon is a heartwarming story that follows a disabled dog named Milo, who is rescued after being injured and abandoned. With the caring assistance of Stephanie, an animal shelter volunteer, he undergoes therapy and eventually wears a specialized wheelchair to move around. While residing at the shelter, Milo befriends several other dogs, each with unique backstories and longing to find a loving home. Throughout their time together, they share laughter, hopes, fears, and ultimately experience the bit...
Blood Oath, (Storm Breaker Book 1)
Kayla Cunningham (Fire and Ice)
In Blood Oath, Kayla Cunningham delivers a gripping tale set within a dark, fantastic realm torn apart by the violence of the Sovereign War. The story follows Allyria Pilar, a sixteen-year-old prisoner in Redvine, who faces execution after her desperate attempt to save a magical woman, Prisoner #9486114, escalates into chaos. This pivotal moment catapults Allyria into the depths of a brutal system designed to crush hope and humanity. When unexpected help arrives through the enigmatic Death Dealer, Allyria must navigate her newfound freedom. At...
Conversations with My Mother
Ronald-Stéphane Gilbert (Rootstock Publishing)
Through a series of vignettes, Ronald-Stéphane Gilbert captures the mix of humor and heartache accompanying the conversations between the elderly and warm-hearted Francophone grappling with dementia in Conversations with My Mother. At the same time, her quaint town faces real estate development pressures. The novel opens with a nostalgic trip to the breakwater, where Yvette recalls when her husband proposed. This memory delivers the emotional backdrop throughout the narrative, highlighting the contrast between Yvette’s fragmented recollections...
Flying Circus Through Thick and Thin
Leona Cobham (Cobham Wings)
Flying Circus Through Thick and Thin by Leona Cobham, the second installment of the in the Airplane Adventures series, a notable book that takes readers on a journey with a group of anthropomorphic airplanes—Vul the Vulcan, Spif the Spitfire, Woody the Tiger Moth, and Tom the F-14 Tomcat—as they tackle extreme weather conditions and an emergency in a remote village. Amid inexplicable illnesses plaguing the villagers, the planes face dangerous adversaries involved in suspicious mining operations. The narrative unfolds as they integrate teamwork,...
A Madness Unmade
E.K. Larson-Burnett ()
In A Madness Unmade, the first installment of the Deathly Inheritance Duology, E.K. Larson-Burnett introduces readers to an intricately woven tale in a world steeped in necromancy, spectral beings, and the intricate legacies of a powerful family, the Rumbrooms. The narrative follows Laurel Rumbroom, a young woman navigating her life as a living entity among ghosts in her family manor, the Underhallow. With her father’s recent death, her struggle with his unresolved spirit, and the Legacy of the Revenant Accords, which control the aftermath of d...
Worthy
G. M. Lupo (Lupo Digital Services, LLC)
Worthy by G. M. Lupo follows the lives of the Worthy sisters: Regan, a talented young artist with mental health issues; Rosalind, a diligent, rational figure dealing with expectations; and Rhiannon, the youngest, facing her illness while reconciling her sisters' legacy. The novel reveals the depth of their relationships and individual struggles, exploring themes of creativity, mental health, family, and the impact of past decisions on present lives. The story examines these multifaceted characters within the Worthy family, each representin...
First Pub on the Right: A Wife-Changing Motorcycle Adventure from Cork to Cape Town
David Irish Anderson (Pure Ink Press)
David Irish Anderson's memoir, First Pub on the Right, recounts a transformative motorcycle journey taken by the author and his wife, Sarah, as they traverse from Cork, Ireland, to Cape Town, South Africa—a quest inspired by serendipitous conversations in a tavern about the power of adventure. The couple's journey, rich with anecdotes and reflections, beautifully juxtaposes the thrill of exploration with the universal challenges of maintaining a relationship on the road. Over their extensive travel rooted in spontaneity and a quest for deeper c...
White's Tavern
Jim Altfeld (A T Publishing)
In White's Tavern, Jim Altfeld delivers a compelling narrative set in the Chicago suburbs during the early 1970s, skillfully intertwining loyalty, betrayal, and crime. The story unfolds non-linearly, centering on Bill Ott, the larger-than-life self-proclaimed “King of White's Tavern.” Bill's charisma and charm are juxtaposed against his reckless behavior, creating a protagonist that is as magnetic as he is flawed. The novel begins with a glimpse of Bill’s tumultuous life before flashing back to his childhood on Leavitt Street, where he grew up...
Windswept
Rosalie Rayburn (Rayburn Publications)
Windswept is the third, captivating entry in A Digger Doyle Mystery by Rosalie Rayburn, intelligently blending mystery, political intrigue, and personal conflict within the backdrop of New Mexico's landscapes. The story unfolds as investigative reporter Digger Doyle deals with the suspicious death of State Representative Carmen Lawlor, who is discovered at the base of a wind turbine—a site symbolic of the environmental battles in the region. Lawlor's tragic past, intertwined with the unresolved case of a missing girl, Julie Mondragon, becomes a...