Synopsis

 

Set during the heroism and heartbreak of World War I, and in an occupied France in an alternative timeline, Sarah Adlakha’s Midnight on the Marne explores the responsibilities love lays on us and the rippling impact of our choices.

France, 1918. Nurse Marcelle Marchand has important secrets to keep. Her role as a spy has made her both feared and revered, but it has also put her in extreme danger from the approaching German army.

American soldier George Mountcastle feels an instant connection to the young nurse. But in times of war, love must wait. Soon, George and his best friend Philip are fighting for their lives during the Second Battle of the Marne, where George prevents Philip from a daring act that might have won the battle at the cost of his own life.

On the run from a victorious Germany, George and Marcelle begin a new life with Philip and Marcelle’s twin sister, Rosalie, in a brutally occupied France. Together, this self-made family navigates oppression, near starvation, and unfathomable loss, finding love and joy in unexpected moments.

Years pass, and tragedy strikes, sending George on a course that could change the past and rewrite history. Playing with time is a tricky thing. If he chooses to alter history, he will surely change his own future—and perhaps not for the better.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

“Come sit down.” Roland waved George over to the table, eager to discuss the latest musings of la résistance. He had joined a group that was sympathetic to the Bolsheviks who’d recently replaced the monarchy in Russia, and Lina didn’t want any part of it in their home. She ardently disapproved of Roland’s association with them.

Roland was a revolutionary, though. He was young and idealistic and impressionable. He wanted everything he’d lost to be worth something, and as long as German was spoken in the streets, that fire would burn inside of him.

“Have you heard the news, George?”

George shook his head no, as he took the spot beside Paul. The only news that found its way into their lives was through Lina and Roland, and Lina’s news was rarely about Russians.

“Lenin and his men have moved into Germany.”

“Assez de ces absurdités.” As Lina scolded Roland from the stove, George tried to translate her words. Enough absurdity.

“This is important, Lina. This is our country. Our home. Don’t you want the Germans out?”

“Of course I do,” Lina hissed. “But you need to keep your voice down. You don’t know who is listening.”

“No one is interested in us,” Roland replied. “When have you ever seen a German on this side of town?”

“Exactly. They leave us alone. So why do I want someone else to come in and make things worse?”

“They are our allies, Lina. We are fighting this war against Germany together.”

“They are not our allies,” Lina spat back. “They signed a treaty with Germany behind our backs, and now they are taking advantage of Germany’s weakened position at their border and pushing towards France. What do you think they will do when they get here?”

Roland and Lina went back and forth, seamlessly slipping between English and French, neither willing to compromise their position. Roland sang praises to Lenin and his Bolsheviks, glorifying the awakening that was spreading through Europe. But the truth, Lina insisted, was muddled and vague. There was no honor among thieves. The ink hadn’t even dried on the treaty the Russians had signed with the Germans when Lenin had led them through the eastern front like water through a sieve. They’d waited only long enough for the Boche to shift their troops from the Russian front to the French one, and then they’d simply walked across the border and promised food to the hungry, rest to the wary, and riches to the poor.

Wherever Lina got her information was a guarded secret, but she didn’t come to the conversations unprepared.

“You think Lenin is a good man, but is he not a conqueror? Is he not trying to take our lands? You will be sorry if he shows up at your door. Mark my words, Roland.”

 

 

Conversation with Sarah

 

Being an alternative timeline novel, Midnight on the Marne has themes of what if. With everything going on in Europe right now do you see any parallels to history repeating itself and the direction you took in your fictional novel with the Bolsheviks stepping in when the Germans couldn’t maintain their hold on France?

 

Absolutely. I wrote Midnight on the Marne before Putin’s latest invasion of Ukraine, but it’s certainly not surprising to me that it happened. Or that his justification for war has nothing to do with money or power but with the safety and security of his people. What better way to get your citizens on board than to suggest their lives are in danger if they don’t act?

At the heart of war is power – ownership – and when a power vacuum is created, it doesn’t stay empty for long. That was the world I created in Midnight on the Marne. The Germans signing a treaty with Russia during WWI was a real event in history, along with the shift of German troops from their eastern front to their western front in France. I just took the creative liberty of having the newly formed Bolshevik regime in Russia take advantage of that weakness and start their own invasion into Germany and France under the premise of spreading communism – a new and better way of life for the people who were suffering from wartime shortages – and pitting one antagonist against the other. When your country is being invaded by multiple aggressors, how do you decide who is the lessor of the two evils.

The Russian war in Ukraine is a bit of a different beast, although it’s certainly an attempt at a power grab on Putin’s part. Unlike Germany in WWI, Ukraine isn’t at war with anyone else and offers no threat to the countries around it. But because the Ukrainians haven’t been offered the protection of NATO, Putin believes they will be easy targets. So far, he has vastly underestimated their strength and courage.

But shifting borders have been a constant throughout history and will remain so. It’s easy to look through the lens of history and to be able to see all the moving parts like a well-choreographed performance. To be able to say with confidence that this side was right, this leader was wrong, this country should have acted sooner. But in the moment, war is often disjointed and confusing, and it isn’t until it’s over and you’re caught with your mouth hanging open that you ask yourself, what if?

 

What if we had been paying attention? What if we had seen the writing on the wall? What if we had done something?

 

 

About the Author

 

Sarah Adlakha is a native of Chicago who now lives along the Mississippi Gulf Coast with her husband, three daughters, two horses, and one dog. She started writing fiction shortly after retiring from her psychiatry practice. Her debut novel, She Wouldn’t Change a Thing, was a CNN most anticipated book of 2021. Midnight on the Marne is her second novel.

 

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Synopsis

 

Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock, is now living independently in London and working as a scientific perditorian (a finder of persons and things). But that is not the normal lot of young women in Victorian England. They are under the near absolute control of their nearest male relative until adulthood. Such is the case of Enola’s friend, Lady Cecily Alastair. Twice before Enola has rescued Lady Cecily from unpleasant designs of her caddish father, Sir Eustace Alastair, Baronet. And when Enola is brusquely turned away at the door of the Alastair home it soons becomes apparent that Lady Cecily once again needs her help.

Affecting a bold escape, Enola takes Lady Cecily to her secret office only to be quickly found by the person hired by Lady Cecily’s mother to find the missing girl—Sherlock Holmes himself. But the girl has already disappeared again, now loose on her own in the unforgiving city of London.

Even worse, Lady Cecily has a secret that few know. She has dual personalities—one, which is left-handed, is independent and competent; the other, which is right-handed is meek and mild. Now Enola must find Lady Cecily again—before one of her personalities gets her into more trouble than she can handle and before Sherlock can find her and return her to her father. Once again, for Enola, the game is afoot.

 

 

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Review

 

Ever since I saw the movie on Netflix, I have been captured by this series and have enjoyed every book I have read so far. There is something about this spunky Enola Holmes that draws me in each time. Enola is a self-proclaimed perditorian, which is a finder of lost things or people. She does this exceptionally well, and in this novel, we find her saving her good friend Cecily from her locked room and uncovering a way to keep this from happening again. Because of the time period in which this book is set, most women are considered property. Cecily’s father is not a kind man, and he apparently is up to some unscrupulous things.

We learn more about Enola’s life at the woman’s home and outside the home. Her brothers are always concerned for her, but she is taking classes that thrill them since they just want her to be happy and stay out of trouble. That last part is hard because she is not afraid to stick her nose in where it doesn’t belong when it comes to her friends.

Cecily is a unique character, and I wonder if she is bipolar because she becomes two different people depending on which hand is dominant at the time. The left-hand Cecily is bold and not afraid of anything. The right-hand Cecily is a simpering food and can’t stand up for herself. I liked how Enola would draw out the left-hand Cecily when she needed someone that was more forthright.

I enjoyed the fast pace of the story, Enola’s unique costumes, and the interaction between all of the characters. The descriptions drew me in, and I felt like I was a part of the story. Enola is a role model for young women to achieve more than they think they can.

These are fun reads, so check this series out. We give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Nancy Springer is the author of the nationally bestselling Enola Holmes novels, including The Case of the Missing Marquess, which was made into the hit Netflix movie Enola Holmes. She is the author of more than 50 other books for children and adults. She has won many awards, including two Edgar Awards, and has been published in more than thirty countries. She lives in Florida.

 

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Synopsis

 

A man mysteriously disappears in a lighthouse, as if dissolved by light, leaving behind a notebook filled with bizarre claims of a curse and a series of drawings entitled ‘The Death of the Jubilant Child.’ The investigation into the disappearance unearths hidden connections between the disappeared man, Helene and the strange figure of the Man With The Forks In His Fingers. Fifteen years later, the discovery of the detective’s copy of the notebook by Helene’s daughter seems to set in motion a repetition of the events of the past.

Circuitously structured and intensely lyrical, The Autodidacts explores the mythos of friendship, the necessity of failure, the duty of imagination, and the dreams of working class lives demanding to be beautiful. It is a prayer in denial of its heresy, a metafictional-roman-a-clef trying to maintain its concealment, and an attempt to love that shows its workings out in the margins of its construction.

 

Thomas Kendall’s THE AUTODIDACTS is a brilliant novel — inviting like a secret passage, infallible in its somehow orderly but whirligig construction, spine-tingling to unpack, and as haunted as any fiction in recent memory. – Dennis Cooper

 

 

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Excerpt

 

James ‘Jim’ Burke arrives at the hospital ten minutes after Lawrence leaves. This despite appearances is in no way premeditated, appearances being less than convincing on closer inspection. Jim is unshaven and wearing a suit slicked with patches of scuff and wear, a vinyl stickiness to the fabric akin to the wet scraped skin he used to find around his knees during the long lost and barely specifiable summers of his youth.

Here he is then, unshaven, unlaundered, his pupils an enlarging spot of black in the spoiled fruit of his eyes, thought patterns gone AWOL, defected in deference to a ragged swarm of digitised colour blown around like confetti by the jigsaw winds of his perception. There’s a bunch of flowers that he stole from an elderly woman’s garden in his hand, the dirt still nattily dreading the stems and forming an organic webbed candelabra under the base of his fist.

He is full of stories or anti-stories that knit and chain together, tangled in images that no mouth could shape nor ear disentangle. How to explain to Helene what happened to him today on the way to see their child or what looped Road to Damascus revelation lurked behind their sequence. Jim walks through the car park rehearsing all the things that he’ll shed, in an instant, on seeing Helene’s heart-shaped face.

He wants to tell her about the old lady on the bus with her wrists crossed stoically above her shopping cart. How she pointedly ignored what must have sounded to her like obscene chatter from the teenagers behind her but which Jim knew held all the necessary, ugly fecundity of youth. He wants to tell Helene about the old lady’s hands, how they were ridged with veins the way great rivers are rendered on a map. How he knew in this moment that he too was some celestial body, a planet amid planets coursing through exploded space, full of lifeforms and possessing only the burning consciousness of a star nudged from its path.

Jim steps forward and the doors of the hospital slide cleanly open, an airless hum sucking the sound from his ears. A cold regulatory blast of air conditioning straps around his body, his skin coming to attention now in a Mobius strip of goosebumps.

Jim feels a sudden rush of exhaustion that’s warm and vaguely sensual at first but which is followed by a quick disavowal of that pleasure. His cells grind. Jim feels the muscles of his body stretching like a long strand of spit. The flowers begin to weigh in his hand. He looks at them. They have wilted on the bus ride here and point downwards now as if peeled from the air.

They were supposed to prove something else entirely.

Jim ducks inside the gift shop. He picks up a bunch of expensive roses and begins to weave the stolen daffodils into their array. The bouquet has become clownish, smeared with a carnival yellow behind which the serious red of the roses break through in little patches of suggested depth.

– Another self-portrait Jim?

He imagines Helene laughing as she says this. Sees her touching his hand and leaving a white half-moon of shooed blood where her finger rests. He pictures their child being transferred to his arms, a weight his body has missed all these years and in which each of them swirl and gambol and mutate, the child a new being to go beyond each of them, bound for the stars or somewhere else at least.

The excitement is making Jim’s fantasies childish. All his hopes have this quality of having been arrested in youth by sadness. He has been sad for a long time. The sadness seemed to reproduce itself in all his wayward strategies to cope with it, a disease that proceeded to colonise all the settlements of his self.

The girl behind the counter of the flower shop is trying to flirt with him. He barely notices. She lays her fingers on the counter and rotates her hips towards the register. There are large rings on each of her fingers. She takes the flowers and scans them while lightly bouncing her hip against the drawer.

What are you here for?

I’m a dad… I think. I think I’m a dad.

The girl turns to him now, leans over the counter.

– You think?

– It’s complicated.

The girl presses the change into his palm.

– Best of luck with that.

 

 

About the Author

 

Thomas Kendall is the author of The Autodidacts released May 2022. Dennis Cooper called The Autodidacts ‘a brilliant novel — inviting like a secret passage, infallible in its somehow orderly but whirligig construction, spine-tingling to unpack, and as haunted as any fiction in recent memory.’ His work has appeared in the anthologies Abyss (Orchards Lantern) and Userlands (Akashic Books) and online at Entropy.

 

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Synopsis

 

Yorkshire, 1943. Lily Baines, a bright young debutante increasingly ground down by an endless war, has traded in her white gloves for a set of headphones. It’s her job to intercept enemy naval communications and send them to Bletchley Park for decryption. One night, she picks up a transmission that isn’t code at all—it’s a cry for help. An American ship is taking heavy fire in the North Atlantic—but no one else has reported an attack, and the information relayed by the young US officer, Matt Jackson, seems all wrong. The contact that Lily has made on the other end of the radio channel says it’s…2023.

Across an eighty-year gap, Lily and Matt must find a way to help each other: Matt to convince her that the war she’s fighting can still be won, and Lily to help him stave off the war to come. As their connection grows stronger, they both know there’s no telling when time will run out on their inexplicable link.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

When there was a war on, and when your part in it was so deadly serious it sometimes kept you from sleeping at night, there was really nothing to do but make jokes about it all. It was either make jokes or start weeping at your desk, so Lily made jokes.

“The wallpaper in this place is going to do me in,” she quipped an hour into her shift that Monday. “I can see my obituary now: ‘The Honorable Lily Baines, petty officer in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, twenty-two, dead of mid-Victorian chintz.’”

The others laughed, a welcome sound of cheer in the chilly parlor. The little seaside hotel, in which Lily and her fellow Wrens had spent nearly every day of the last year, had been made over into a listening station at the start of the war. The space was crammed with desks, naval message pads, and National HRO receivers with their cranky dials and chunky headphones. The only part of the room that still looked like a parlor was the wallpaper, pink blotches that might have been cabbage roses or maybe diseased kidneys, writhing across the walls and down the corridor outside, and in all the rooms upstairs where Lily and her fellow Wrens billeted in a welter of hideous china and starched doilies. “This whole place is a mid-Victorian howler,” Lily had decreed their first day, already slotted into her place as court jester, the one who kept everyone laughing.

And if she often felt like weeping from the stress and the fear and the endless grinding dread of it all, what did that matter? There was a war on; you pinned a smile in place and kept going.

“No daydreaming, Baines,” tutted Lily’s superior officer, a middle-aged woman named Fiddian who had a face like a fist. “Put those headphones back on.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lily blew on her mittened fingers. No one bothered to take off the coats bundled over their uniforms; it was far too cold. One of the advantages of joining the Wrens was supposed to be that sleek, dashing, brass-buttoned uniform (designed by Molyneux!), but no one ever saw the uniform here; Lily and her fellow Y Station listeners spent every shift bundled.

Lily slid the big Bakelite headphones back over her ears. Cold enclosed rooms, headphones, and secrecy—that was a Y Station listener’s world in a nutshell. Reaching toward her wireless receiver, she began turning knobs and went hunting.

It hadn’t seemed like hunting when she was doing her training course in Wimbledon over a year ago as a newly assigned special duties linguist. It had been serious business, of course, but there had been a certain fierce pleasure in learning to do it, and do it well: tuning her ears to the next room where a chap with a microphone droned a never-ending series of call signs, code groups, and German words, and Lily and a cluster of German-speaking Wrens scribbled on their pads, straining for every syllable. Can you repeat that? one of the girls had been foolish enough to ask, and the snap from the next room came right quick: Are you going to ask the Nazis to just repeat that, when you’re taking down their transmissions in the North Sea? It was all about learning to listen with every spark of energy you had, straining to hear as the teachers started building in interference: fading signals, interrupted signals, aural chaff (Write down exactly what you hear, and no guessing, girls!). Lily would exchange delighted grins with the others when they got a message clear; they’d compete to see who was best at parsing the transmissions.

But here in Withernsea, everything was deadly serious: they were intercepting live radio communications sent to enemy vessels, the same vessels that hunted their countrymen. Lily saw her quarry the moment she first sat down at this desk: wolf packs of U-boats knifing through the waters of the Atlantic, German surface vessels poking their ugly snouts through the Baltic, looking for soft Allied flesh. She didn’t have a brother out there, thank God—hers were both too young—but she had a whole flock of cousins, a pack of school friends, an entire flotilla of old beaux she’d fox-trotted and waltzed through her deb season with. Willy, Terry, John, Phil, Arthur, Kit, Andrew, Eddie, Dickie, Alan, Fred . . . Just running the list in her head, the ones she could lose, sent an icy hand of pure terror clawing down her throat.

Chin up, she told herself again, fingers resting on the knob like a pianist’s on the keys, sliding the length of the band. German transmissions, always to be found in the 4, 8, and 12 MHz bands— ship-to-ship communications fell in the 30 to 50 MHz band. Listening through the static, through the fuzz, sliding slowly along the frequencies. (Have my ears grown? Lily wondered sometimes in the bleariness of late-shift exhaustion. Do they stick out from my head like platters, the way I strain and swivel after radio chatter so many hours and hours and hours a day?) Straining, straining, straining, never knowing when a voice in German would suddenly jump into your ears. Two hours of static droned through her headphones tonight before a nasal Teutonic tenor emerged; Lily gave a sharp knock on the desk, and dimly heard one of the other Wrens calling, “We’ve got a Jerry ship up. Call Fiddian—” Lily was already writing with one hand, transposing the drone of German letter groups as her left-hand fingers poised on the knob, ready to track the voice if it disappeared back into static. She lost the signal in the middle, got it back within seconds, only a few letter groups dropped out there . . . It was all ciphered, just gibberish in five-letter clusters, but she didn’t have to make sense of it. She just wrote until her hand burned and listened till her ears bled, the entire person and essence of the Honorable Lily Baines stripped down to a pair of ears and a pair of hands.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many historical novels, including The Diamond Eye, The Rose Code, The Alice Network, and The Huntress. A native of Southern California, she received her bachelor’s and master’s in classical voice from Boston University before turning her focus to writing fiction. Her books have been translated into multiple languages, and The Alice Network was featured as a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Quinn lives in San Diego with her husband and three adorable rescue dogs.

 

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FANCY

 

Love Train Multi-Author Series, #10

 

by

 

LINDA BRODAY

 

 

Western Romance /Sweet Romance/ American Historical Romance

Pages:            190 pages

Publisher:      Kindle Unlimited

Publication Date:     August 15, 2022

 

 

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A stolen baby

An orphan child

A bargain struck

 

Told her baby died in childbirth, Fancy Dalton grieves for her son. But in the midst of a raging storm, a shadowy figure appears and tells her that he’s alive and well! He was stolen! Now she has an address and a name. From despair comes hope.

One thought drives her—finding and getting him back. Selling everything she owns, Fancy buys a one-way train ticket to Denver. Nothing and no one will stop her. In a mad dash to board the train, she collides with Jack Coltrain. As fate would have it, the rugged cowboy, on a mission of his own, sits next to her. Experience has taught her to be wary of men. But when her bag is stolen, he gets it back and earns a small piece of her trust.

As the iron wheels roll, taking her closer to her two-year-old son, Fancy and Jack discover an orphan girl who needs their help and open their arms to her. Ten hours from their goal, Fancy and Jack strike a deal—her help for his. Desperate times for both call for creative solutions…but marriage, even in name only? However, nothing is off the table. She’ll do whatever she must to save the orphan and get her child back. Still, giving Jack her heart…that’s not part of the bargain.

 

 

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Praise

 

“I have loved every Linda Broday book I have read, but I must say this one touched my heart.” Cricket (Goodreads)

“Linda Broday waved her magic wand when her turn came and gave us one of her most profound heroines she’s ever written. Fancy wrapped her tragic story around my heart and transported me into the late 1800s.” Tonya (Goodreads)

“Linda Broday has always been able to weave her characters together like a mix-match patch quilt, but the end results are amazing.” Rose Ann (Goodreads)

“…Her ability to convey the goodness of their souls will leave the reader wanting more.” Sally (Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Fancy, life is a journey. Not one trip, but hundreds. We have to keep going and proceed with courage each and every day as long as we have breath.”

 

Fancy has had some hard knocks in her life, but the worst is when her baby is taken from her at his birth, but she is told that he is dead. Then her mother passes away, which leaves Fancy all alone. But then a miracle happens – she learns that her son is alive and where to find him. This takes Fancy on a journey, and what she discovers along the way will complete her life.

I adore reading historical novels and imagining life without the technology and such that we have today. I think life was simpler in a way but just as hard in different respects. I think people were kinder to each other, but there were also those that hurt people or took advantage of them. There are several characters, while minor, who stand out due to their kindness to those they met. From the train conductor to the baggage handler to the boarding house owner.

Fancy has a rough start on the train to find her son; a child steals her bag, which contains all of her possessions. Enter Jack Coltrain, who she bumped into on the train platform, as he chases the boy through the train cars (because he can’t get too far since it is moving) and manages to retrieve her bag after meeting Piper and Willie and discovering where it was stashed. This sets the crux of the story into motion. Jack and Fancy take Piper under their wing because she truly has no one and at 12 should not be alone. Both Jack and Fancy have kind hearts, and I was glad to see that they both had the same mindsets when it came to Piper. I chuckled many times at Piper’s comments when it came to her grandparents. There was bad blood between her mother and her grandfather, yet she wasn’t willing to give him much of a chance. I thought it was brilliant how Piper’s grandmother was able to break through the walls that Piper had erected to help change her mind.

Jack and Fancy’s relationship really takes off once they reach Denver. There is already a mutual attraction to each other, and it doesn’t take long for them to realize that they belong together. Not often do you discover your soulmate so quickly, and watching their relationship evolve was romantic.

While the story has some rough parts (action-wise, not writing), each aspect blends together to create a heartwarming love story with a HEA ending. I felt like the characters were well developed for a shorter book, and the only thing I wanted was more of the story. I did not want it to end!

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirty historical western romance novels and short stories. I reside in the Texas Panhandle on land the American Indian and early cowboys once roamed, and at times if the breeze is just right, I can hear their voices whispering in the wind. Texas’s rich history is one reason I set all my stories here where cowboys still remain caretakers of the land. I’m inspired every day by their immense dedication and love for the wide-open spaces. I combine those men with the love of family in all my stories and hope to continue to give readers books that entertain and fulfill.

 

 

 

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$25 Amazon gift card plus Kindle copy of Fancy

 

Three winners: 

 

Kindle copies of Fancy

 

(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 8/19/2022.)

 

 

 

 

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Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

 

For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily,

 

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8/9/22	Excerpt	Forgotten Winds
8/9/22	BONUS Promo	Hall Ways
8/10/22	Review	Librariel Book Adventures
8/10/22	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
8/11/22	Character Spotlight	Chapter Break Book Blog
8/12/22	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
8/13/22	Notable Quotables	Shelf Life Blog
8/14/22	Character Interview	All the Ups and Downs
8/15/22	Review	Carpe Diem Chronicles
8/16/22	Sneak Peek	Stories Under Starlight
8/17/22	Review	Boys’ Mom Reads
8/18/22	Review	Writing and Music

 

 

 

 

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Rio Hondo

 

Three Rivers Trilogy, Book 3

 

by

 

Preston Lewis

 

 

 

 Western / Historical Fiction / Action & Adventure

Publisher: Five Star

Pages: 373 pages

Publication Date: May 18, 2022

 

 

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With the embers of the Lincoln County War still burning, rancher Wes Bracken must rebuild his life amid the white-hot animosities lingering from the deadly feud. His vengeful brother-in-law vows to kill him, the county’s economic kingpin seeks revenge, and the despicable outlaw Jesse Evans, who violated Bracken’s wife, intends to murder Bracken and his young family. Two promises complicate Bracken’s survival chances: a pledge not to kill his wife’s brother and a commitment to help William H. Bonney earn a governor’s pardon for his crimes. To survive and fulfill his dream of a peaceful life in 1880s New Mexico Territory, Bracken must fight a corrupt legal system, a duplicitous governor, a ubiquitous political ring, and the evil Jesse Evans. If Bracken keeps his promises to his wife and Billy the Kid, he risks an early grave in the same soil that holds so many of the Lincoln County War’s dead. If he ignores those pledges, he will dishonor the good name he hopes to build his future upon.

 

 

 

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Excerpt from Chapter Twenty

 

of Rio Hondo

 

by Preston Lewis

 

 

Wes strode toward the governor’s quarters. Stepping up on the porch he knocked firmly on the door.

“Enter, Orderly,” came the governor’s voice.

Wes opened the door and stepped inside.

“You’re early, but I’m ready for breakfast,” the governor called, looking up from his stack of papers and shaking his head. “I thought you were the mess orderly. I’m not seeing visitors.”

“The name’s Wes Bracken, remember? I met with you and the Kid when you promised him a pardon if he testified in all these proceedings.”

“I can’t pardon him for a crime on the Indian reservation.”

“Then pardon him for the shooting of Sheriff Brady.”

Lew Wallace stood up from his desk and shook his head. “I can’t see how a fellow like him can expect any clemency from me, as he showed none to his victims.”

“But you promised him he would walk free with a pardon in his pocket if he testified in the legal proceedings,” Wes pleaded. “He’s done just that.”

“Let me tell you, Bracken, when you get an appointment like governor to a territory as corrupt as New Mexico, you think you will go in and right all the wrongs. You are mistaken. You don’t know all the pressures and all the influences that make it near impossible to even tell right from wrong, much less correct it.”

“It’s the Santa Fe Ring, isn’t it? You and everyone else have sold out to their corruption. You don’t care who gets crushed.”

“Like I said, Bonney doesn’t deserve clemency for what he did.”

“He tried to make things right, and put his life at risk several times in doing so, and you don’t have the decency to abide by your commitment.”

Wallace pointed to the door. “It’s called politics. Politicians make a lot of promises they have no intention of keeping. It’s for the better good. Now leave before I call for soldiers to throw you out.”

“In all of Lincoln’s bad moments, there’s not been one lower than this, Governor. The Kid deserved better.”

“Bonney deserves what I’m giving him. Now get out, Bracken, or I’ll have you arrested for threatening me.”

Wes spun around and rumbled out the door, slamming it behind him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preston Lewis is the Spur Award-winning author of 40 westerns, historical novels, juvenile books, and memoirs.  He has received national awards for his novels, articles, short stories, and humor.

In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary accomplishments.  Lewis is past president of Western Writers of America and the West Texas Historical Association.

His historical novel Blood of Texas on the Texas Revolution earned a Spur Award as did his True West article on the Battle of Yellow House Canyon.  He developed the Memoirs of H.H. Lomax series, which includes two Spur finalists and a Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award for western humor for his novel Bluster’s Last Stand on the battle of Little Big Horn.  His comic western The Fleecing of Fort Griffin and two of his YA novels have won Elmer Kelton Awards for best creative work on West Texas from the West Texas Historical Association.

He began his writing career working for Texas daily newspapers in Abilene, Waco, Orange, and Lubbock before going into university administration.  During his 35-year career in higher education, he directed communications and marketing offices at Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and Angelo State University.

Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baylor University and master’s degrees from Ohio State in journalism and Angelo State in history.  He lives in San Angelo with his wife, Harriet.

 

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Synopsis

 

Set during the Great Depression, Sarah Bird’s Last Dance on the Starlight Pier is a novel about one woman—and a nation—struggling to be reborn from the ashes.

July 3. 1932. Shivering and in shock, Evie Grace Devlin watches the Starlite Palace burn into the sea and wonders how she became a person who would cause a man to kill himself. She’d come to Galveston to escape a dark past in vaudeville and become a good person, a nurse. When that dream is cruelly thwarted, Evie is swept into the alien world of dance marathons. All that she has been denied—a family, a purpose, even love—waits for her there in the place she dreads most: the spotlight.

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier is a sweeping novel that brings to spectacular life the enthralling worlds of both dance marathons and the family-run empire of vice that was Galveston in the Thirties. Unforgettable characters tell a story that is still deeply resonant today as America learns what Evie learns, that there truly isn’t anything this country can’t do when we do it together. That indomitable spirit powers a story that is a testament to the deep well of resilience in us all that allows us to not only survive the hardest of hard times, but to find joy, friends, and even family, in them.

 

 

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Review

 

The depression was a hard time for most people in the US. While the realities of life were obvious, people still found ways to entertain themselves. In this case, the dance marathons pitted couples against one another to win a cash prize. Looking back, you have to wonder how sane this idea was as some of these marathons lasted months. I can’t even imagine being awake that long even with catnaps here and there. I don’t know about historical accuracy, but this novel featured “hoofers” or employees in the marathons and typically won, keeping the money in the company or with the promoter. Reading these accounts made me appreciate what people did to ensure their livelihood.

Evie Grace Devlin was no stranger to performing, but her dream was to be a nurse, and she thought she had succeeded when she was accepted into a nursing school in Galveston on a full scholarship. Who knew the head nun would have it out for her and yank that from under her at the last moment? This moment throws Evie back into the theater world via dance marathons as a nurse of sorts. This ragtag group became her family, and I learned a lot about how these marathons worked and to what extent they would help each other just make it through life. When you learn about Evie’s life growing up and how her mother treated her, you won’t lose any love for that woman. Mamie only cares about herself to the extent of torpedoing her daughter’s life.

Zave is a hoofer and has a connection to Evie that she discovers after a short period of time. They form a bond, and Evie thinks he could be her life’s great love until she learns something about him. I won’t spoil that secret, but it creates tension and issues between the two until they resolve the issue.

This story intrigued me, educated me, and gave me all the feels while reading about lives during the Great Depression. There are even political references since it was the same time that FDR ran against Hoover for President. I enjoyed the various settings, from Houston to Galveston to Litchfield to Chicago. Each represented what was happening in these different areas during the depression, and not all towns were alike.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Sarah Bird is a bestselling novelist, screenwriter, essayist, and journalist who has lived in Austin, Texas since long before the city became internationally cool. She has published ten novels and two books of essays. Her eleventh novel, LAST DANCE ON THE STARLITE PIER–a gripping tale set in the secret world of the dance marathons of the Great Depression–will be released on April 12th.

Her last novel, DAUGHTER OF A DAUGHTER OF A QUEEN–inspired by the true story of the only woman to serve with the legendary Buffalo Soldiers–was named an All-time Best Books about Texas by the Austin American-Statesman; Best Fiction of 2018, Christian Science Monitor; Favorite Books of 2018, Texas Observer; a One City, One Book choice of seven cities; and a Lit Lovers Book Club Favorites.

Sarah was a finalist for The Dublin International Literary Award; an ALEX award winner; Amazon Literature Best of the Year selection; a two-time winner of the TIL’s Best Novel award; a B&N’s Discover Great Writers selection; a New York Public Libraries Books to Remember; an honoree of theTexas Writers Hall of Fame; an Amazon Literature Best of the Year selection; a Dobie-Paisano Fellowship; and an Austin Libraries Illumine Award for Excellence in Fiction winner. In 2014 she was named Texas Writer of the Year by the Texas Book Festival and presented with a pair of custom-made boots on the floor of the Texas Senate Chamber.

Sarah is a nine-time winner of Austin Best Fiction Writer award. She was recently honored with the University of New Mexico’s 2020 Paul Ré Award for Cultural Advocacy. In 2015 Sarah was one of eight winners selected from 3,800 entries to attend the Meryl Streep Screenwriters’ Lab. Sarah was chosen in 2017 to represent the Austin Public Library as the hologram/greeter installed in the Austin Downtown Library. Sarah was a co-founder of The Writers League of Texas.

She has been an NPR Moth Radio Hour storyteller; a writer for Oprah’s Magazine, NY Times Sunday Magazine and Op Ed columns, Chicago Tribune, Real Simple, Mademoiselle, Glamour, Salon, Daily Beast, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, MS, Texas Observer; Alcalde and a columnist for years for Texas Monthly. As a screenwriter, she worked on projects for Warner Bros., Paramount, CBS, National Geographic, Hallmark, ABC, TNT, as well as several independent producers.

She and her husband enjoy open-water swimming and training their corgi puppy not to eat the furniture.

 

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Inseparable: An Alcatraz Escape Adventure by David Kruh

Publisher: DX Varos Publishing (June 21, 2022)

Category: Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure

 

 

Synopsis

 

Tommy knew the right thing to do was turn them in to the cops. But that wasn’t the adventurous thing to do!

What happened to the three men who escaped from Alcatraz prison in June, 1962? Did they meet the same watery fate as dozens who preceded them into the cold San Francisco Bay? There is credible evidence two of them – brothers John and Clarence Anglin – not only survived but lived for years in South America. Inseparable is a fictional account of how a 13-year-old boy named Tommy helped them to freedom.

Tommy O’Conner was an only child whose mother, a widow of the Korean Conflict, had been left to make it on her own. She passed her independent, sometimes lonely spirit, to her son. But Tommy was also, in many ways, no different than other boys his age who dreamed of adventure. Then, one June day in 1962, his daydreams were interrupted by the real thing when he came face to face with John and Clarence Anglin – two of the Alcatraz escapees – and made the decision which would change all their lives.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

“Clarence.”

“Yea?”

“You… okay?” John asked, each syllable punctuated by the splash of his arms through the cold water.

“Yea,” replied his brother. “You?”

“I was thinking.”

“About what?”

“This picture I saw in LIFE magazine. Or LOOK. I can’t remember which one.”

“What about it?”

“These people in Boston who jump into the water on New Year’s Day. Call themselves Polar Bears.”

“They sound like idiots.”

“Yea, that’s what I thought, too,” John said as he momentarily stopped swimming. Clarence gratefully stopped, as well. The two of them dog-paddled for a while, both sucking in as much air as their lungs could hold. “How’s your head?”

“Hurts. Frank got me good.”

“As long as you’re awake, brother. We’ll see how bad it is after we get to shore. You ready?”

Clarence, still catching his breath and shivering noticeably, nodded. In unison the brothers kicked and pushed their bodies towards the shore. John looked to his left as he stroked into the water. The Golden Gate Bridge. It was definitely getting bigger. Boy, what would the people driving across it think if they could see him and his brother out here? Couple of crazies, they’d say. Like them Polar Bears up in Boston.

“John?”

“Yea?”

“I don’t know how much longer I can go on.”

“I know.”

“I’m so cold, John.”

“I know. Me too, but you gotta keep going.”

“I’m trying.”

“Do you want to stop again? Rest?”

“No, I just want to be out of the water already.”

“You will be soon,” John said as he looked at his brother with concern. “I think we’re almost there.”

“Yea. Please, John don’t –”

“No, I mean it. I can make out a cliff or something ahead of us. And I think the water’s getting warmer.”

“Warmer? Yea, right.”

“I’m not lying to ya,” he said in between gulps of air. “Like when we’d go swimming in Lake Michigan in the summer, remember?”

“I remember,” Clarence replied. He didn’t know how to tell John he had just been in the lake a short while ago.

“The water got warmer closer to shore. I remember it…” John said, his voice trailing off.

“John, what is it?”

“I think we’re almost there. Can you see it? It’s a beach.”

“Are you sure? ‘Cause I’m not sure how much longer I can keep going.”

“Damn it, Clarence, you’ll keep going as long as you have to.”

“I’m so cold, John,” Clarence said again, his voice trailing off. “So cold…”

John put his arm around Clarence. He could feel his brother’s body shaking. “Clarence, look… look ahead. Can’t you see it? That little beach? We are soooo close, brother. So close.”

“I’m tired John. So tired and cold,” Clarence said as he flipped onto his back and floated. “Oh, man, look at the stars, John. So many stars up there, just like we used to see at night in the fields, remember?”

“I remember.”

“What happened, John?”

“What do you mean?”

“How’d we end up here? Were things that tough? Or are we just… bad?”

“No. Don’t ever say that. We’re not bad. Things just… happened. We didn’t plan it. They just… happened.”

Still on his back, looking up into the night sky, Clarence’s voice seemed to be getting weaker with each word. “I’m so tired. You go ahead, John. You got a better chance if you –”

“Hey, stop that shit now. No one is leaving anyone behind,” John said as he began kicking and using his free arm for stroking forward. Every few minutes John, near the point of exhaustion, would stop and let his legs dangle beneath them while he slowly dog-paddled. He didn’t want Clarence to know the cold was starting to get to him, too. It felt like his mind was drifting away from his body, from Clarence. He looked at his brother and saw his eyes were closed.

“Clarence,” he said loudly.

“I’m here,” his brother replied, softly, without opening his eyes.

The sight of his brother looking so helpless – perhaps near death – filled John with regretful rage. This is my fault. I prayed for Clarence to be sent to Alcatraz so we could escape together and now… no, damn it, not now. John took a big gulp of air and began kicking and stroking with a vengeance. But after only a few strokes his body fought back, forcing him to stop and lower his legs again. He began a slow dog paddle when he felt one of his feet hit something.

“Clarence. Clarence.”

“I’m here, you don’t have to yell.”

“I think I touched bottom.”

Clarence’s eyes opened slightly. “Don’t lie to me.”

John looked and saw the shore was now so close he could make out details of a bluff in front of them. “Hang on Clarence, just hang on. I swear to you we are almost there.” With more difficultly than he would admit, John brought his legs up and began kicking again. All he needed was to get a few more feet closer and… he slowed and brought his legs down to…

“Clarence, I can stand.”

“What?”

“My feet… they’re touching the ground,” John said as he placed his arms around his brother and began trudging through the water moving Clarence, still on his back, closer to shore. The water was soon only waist-high and John felt a surge of exhilaration as he saw how close they were to the beach.

 

 

Guest Review by Nora

 

It was a feat that had never been accomplished—escaping from Alcatraz was in their sights and they had no intentions of giving up now. Alcatraz was said to be the U.S.A.’s most inescapable prison.  Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin set out from the island one summer night in 1962 on a raft made of carefully hand stitched together raincoats.

None of the men knew whether they would make it across the bay to San Francisco alive, but they did know one thing– the possibility of death was a better option than the possibility of being caught. Most prisoners in Alcatraz were sent there after attempting to escape from other prisons, and Frank Morris had actually escaped from the Louisiana State Penitentiary and managed to avoid capture for an entire year before he was caught while attempting another burglary. Because of this, and his high IQ score, Frank was considered somewhat of a mastermind in Alcatraz.

When Frank devised a plan, the other inmates could be certain that it was a winner, and this plan was so simple that it was actually genius. The 3 men crafted fake papier-mâché heads to put in their bunks so that the guards that did rounds in their cell block overnight would not realize that their beds were empty. After this, they climbed through the vents in their cells that they had been steadily chipping away at for months, and up to their workshop where they had stowed their raft and paddles. It was audacious, it was clever and it did work. The men escaped and were never found again.

‘Inseparable: An Alcatraz Escape Adventure,’ written by David Kruh is a historical fiction novel about what might have happened to the three prisoners after they fled from the island, and who might have helped them along their way.

This is an outstanding book of history and adventure and one that would be great for book club discussions! I could not put it down and read all the way to sunrise.  It’s a good thing I didn’t have to work that day!

 

 

About the Author

 

David is the published author of several books on Boston history and the co-author, with his father Louis, on a book about presidential homes and landmarks.

A frequent contributor to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald and History Magazine, David is also a published and produced playwright, and a popular lecturer on a variety of historical subjects. ‘Inseparable’ is his debut novel.

 

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Giveaway

 

This giveaway is for 1 print copy and 2 eBook copies open to the U.S. only.

This giveaway ends on July 27, 2022, midnight pacific time.

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ROWDY: WILD AND MEAN,

 

SHARP AND KEEN

 

THE ROWDY SERIES, BOOK ONE

 

BY

 

CHRIS MULLEN

 

 

Young Adult / Historical Fiction / Western / Action & Adventure

Publisher: Wise Wolf Books

Page Count: 278 pages

Publication Date: February 23, 2022

 

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Thrust to the mercy of the Mississippi river, thirteen-year-old Rowdy floats safely away as he watches the smoke rise from his burning farmhouse. Now alone in the world, his perilous journey of survival begins, challenging and shaping him into the young man his father would want him to become.

Pulled from the waters, he is given a chance by a lone river Captain and his mate. Rowdy has grown strong working the river but must use his wit as well as his strength to confront a bullying crewman and survive a surprise attack by river pirates.

Growing up on the Mississippi river was a start for Rowdy, but Dodge City, Kansas proves it has its own challenges. He was warned not to get entangled with Patrick Byrne Byrne, Dodge City’s most powerful rancher. Unknowingly crossing Byrne, he faces life and death decisions. Rowdy’s only option is to run.

Survival is what he has come to know all too well. His escape across the plains nearly claims his life. Through a stranger’s help, Rowdy recovers and finally discovers Lincoln, New Mexico, and acquires a new friend along the way. Rowdy is settling in when hired guns sent by Patrick Byrne find and confront him. Blood, bullets, and tears bring Rowdy’s world to a showdown. Fighting for what was right is his code, living life for others becomes his way, and staring danger in the face is what he must do if he can truly be Wild and Mean, Sharp and Keen.

 

 

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Prologue from

 

Rowdy: Wild and Mean, Sharp and Keen

 

By Chris Mullen

 

 

Rowdy sat on the front porch of his ranch house and surveyed the horizon. A sultry breeze swirled about the Circle R ranch, bringing a sweet smell of coming rain. A rider was coming in. At Rowdy’s feet was Dog. Dog, more interested in identifying the scent flowing in with the breeze, had yet to sense the coming visitor. Rowdy watched the rider’s image grow larger as it slowly sauntered closer. The rider looked toward the Circle R. A smile edged out of the corner of his mouth. It was Roberson.

Dog, growing tired of the mysterious smell, caught sight of Roberson and stood pointing in his direction. Quietly, he stepped forward and then shot off the porch, sprinting towards Roberson. Rowdy stood and watched as Dog escorted Roberson through the gate and up to the hitching post where he dismounted. He secured his horse to the post and looked up at Rowdy. Rowdy looked back. Neither said a word. A gust of wind blew between them, spraying dust along its path.

“Got a feeling about this one?” Roberson said finally.

“More so than the last time,” Rowdy replied.

“The last time… should’ve been the last time.” Roberson spoke as he climbed the stairs to the top of the porch. Dog followed and reclaimed his spot next to Rowdy. Both men laughed as they shook hands, but Rowdy knew in the back of his mind that Roberson was right. He laughed anyway as Roberson sank into the chair next to him.

“I hear the deer are running bigger this year than they have

in a while,” Roberson said. He loved to hunt and jumped at every chance.

“I suppose we will see when we get there, but if this wind doesn’t die down, we may catch the brunt of those storm clouds,” Rowdy said, pointing at the sky beyond the ranch.

Roberson spat. Both men watched as bulging clouds spread out and up across the western sky, growing darker and more ominous by the minute.

“Danged if that isn’t blowing our way!” he said.

“Come on,” Rowdy said. “Let’s put yer horse in the barn and head inside for some coffee. Maybe this thing will blow itself out and we can hit the trail in an hour.”

The storm didn’t blow out. It grew rapidly, sparking lightning flashes that trailed like spider webs across the sky. Booming thunder followed. Dog, still lying on the front porch, slowly stood up and headed inside for his favorite napping spot.

Rain began to fall, gentle at first. Wind whipped through the Circle R and the sky opened up. Rain swept in diagonally, splashing the ground angrily. The front door rattled against its hinges while the two men tipped back in their chairs and nursed their coffee.

“Looks like we’ll be a while,” Rowdy said.

Roberson, irritated that his hunting trip was delayed, let out a grunt.

Deafening thunder rolled across the plains as the rain showed no signs of letting up. Roberson stepped to the window and looked out.

“Dang!” he said, “This is gonna clean wash us out!”

“I’ve seen worse,” Rowdy replied.

“Worse than this?” Roberson questioned. “Can’t imagine.”

Skeptical, Roberson looked out over the soggy terrain. Small streams of water ran rampant, carving miniature canyons into the ground.

Rowdy rocked back in his chair and a swift glimpse of the past rolled through his mind—Mississippi river water pouring over his skiff, supplies careening away down river, lightning flashing overhead, and roaring thunder echoed through him.

A crisp flash of lightning chased by its thunderous pursuer jolted Rowdy back to the present. Roberson turned around.

“Where did you see anything like this?”

 

 

 

 

Chris Mullen is an author from Richmond, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1997 and began his teaching career. Chris was awarded the 2019 Connie Wootton Excellence in Teaching Award presented by the Southwest Association of Episcopal Schools. In 2021, Chris signed with Wise Wolf Books, a YA Imprint of Wolf Pack Publishing, and re-released his debut novel ROWDY: Wild and Mean, Sharp and Keen on February 24, 2022. On March 31, 2022, he released ROWDY: Redemption, followed by an April 21, 2022 release of ROWDY: Dead or Alive. Chris currently writes for Wise Wolf Books and is working on the next ROWDY installment.

His novel, ROWDY: Wild and Mean, Sharp and Keen was named WINNER in the 2020 American Fiction Awards, a 2020 Best Book Finalist, and 3rd Place WINNER in the 2021 Selah Awards, all in the western category. His YA Western series, ROWDY, continues to grow and attract readers of all ages.

 

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ONE WINNER:

 

Autographed set of the Rowdy Books

 

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Synopsis

 

Two couples in love. Two sets of impossible circumstances. One powerful God of grace.

After a devastating tailspin in her late teens, Lauren Anderson’s life is finally back on track. Then a chance meeting with Carter Douglas, her first love and the man who broke her heart, threatens to throw her well-balanced world out of control.

Now a TV meteorologist, Carter is determined to make amends with Lauren. After all, she still owns his heart. But his old demons are forcing him toward the same decision he faced in the past. Is he courageous enough to make a different choice this time around?

When Lauren’s elderly grandmother, Rosie, begins having nightmares about a man named Ephraim–a name her family has never heard before—a fascinating and forbidden past love comes to light. As Lauren and Carter work to uncover the untold stories of Rosie’s past in 1950s Wichita, they embark on a journey of forgiveness and second chances that will change their lives—and Rosie’s—forever. Along the way they’ll learn that God wastes nothing, his timing is perfect, and nothing is beyond his grace and redemption.

 

 

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Praise

 

“A reading experience both heartfelt and heart-tugging, a timeless exploration of young and enduring love and the grace found in second chances. Amanda Wen is a rare and remarkable storyteller, and this is a novel I will not soon forget.” –Amanda Barratt, Christy Award-winning author of The White Rose Resists

“A stunning journey of loss, love, and yearning. . . . Past and present are deftly woven together in this dual-timeline narrative that will leave readers flying through the pages.” – Amanda Cox, author of the 2021 Christy Award Book of the Year, The Edge of Belonging

 

Review

 

This story has all the feels – love, loss, challenges, and family dynamics.

There are two stories being told in this novel. The first is of Lauren and Carter. They meet 13 years ago in the theater and due to circumstances they split apart and have not seen each other until now, and that was by chance in the makeup aisle at the drug store. Sometimes you meet the right person but not at the right time and that is their situation. Carter had family issues he was dealing with and Lauren had her own issues that resulted from their breakup. But perhaps the second time around will be better because they have both had time to grow and deal with their issues.

The second story is one that really touched my heart and is about Lauren’s grandmother, Rosie, and her first love during high school in 1955. Despite living in Kansas, interracial relationships were not accepted and especially not by her parents. I loved reading about the love affair that Rosie had with Ephraim, how they hid it from everyone, and what they taught each other. Rosie’s grandchildren would never have known about this part of her life if it weren’t for a bible that they brought to the memory care unit to ask her about it in one of her more lucid moments. Dementia is not a kind disease and having lost a parent to this, I could understand what Lauren and Garrett were dealing with and the emotions that ran through them not knowing if it would be a good or a bad day.

If this book teaches us nothing else, it is to grab life while you can and enjoy every moment because you never know what tomorrow will bring. Lauren and Carter learn this through incidents with their families and their own lives. I also appreciated the fact that Lauren could admit to counseling even years later because her issues weren’t gone and had flared back up.

These stories are also about hope and that God has a bigger plan for all of us, more than we can ever imagine. Faith may be tested for several characters, but holding on to hope will get them through. It is a time of growth and reflection for several characters as well.

I loved this book and was sad to see it end. It reminded me to have faith, believe in myself, and remember that no problem is too large that it can’t be solved.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Amanda Wen is an award-winning writer of inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction. She has placed first in multiple writing contests, including the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity, the 2017 Phoenix Rattler, and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions contests. She was also a 2018 ACFW Genesis Contest finalist.

Wen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and regularly contributes author interviews for their Fiction Finder feature. She also frequently interviews authors for her blog and is a contributor to the God Is Love blog. Her debut novel, Roots of Wood and Stone, releases from Kregel Publications on February 2, 2021.

In addition to her writing, Wen is an accomplished professional cellist and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and her church’s worship team. She serves as a choral accompanist as well. A lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Wen lives in Kansas with her patient, loving, and hilarious husband, their three adorable Wenlets, and a snuggly Siamese cat.

 

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