“The Many Lives of Mama Love is a heartbreaking and tender journey from shame to redemption, despite a system that makes it almost impossible for us to move beyond the worst thing we have ever done.”—Lara Love Hardin, The Many Lives of Mama Love. Soccer mom Lara Love Hardin had a seemingly perfect life until the police knocked on the door of her million-dollar home. Behind her suburban facade, she was funding a heroin addiction by stealing her neighbors’ credit cards. Hardin’s memoir, The Many Lives of Mama Love, blends despair and comedy as she recounts her journey. “I carefully pick through the bottom-of-purse debris until I find some small […]
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A Poignant Tale of Friendship and Survival in the Pacific Theater
The Long March Home is a moving World War II novel that follows the harrowing journey of three childhood friends—Jimmy, Hank, and Billy—who enlist in the U.S. Army just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The story tracks their struggles in the Pacific Theater, where they endure the brutal realities of war, including the infamous Bataan Death March, testing the strength of their friendship and their will to survive. The narrative alternates between their carefree childhood in Mobile, Alabama, and their traumatic experiences as soldiers. As members of the Thirty-First Infantry in Manila, the friends are captured and forced into a grueling 60-mile march up the Bataan Peninsula, followed by […]
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A High-Stakes Espionage Thriller
3.5 stars rounded down to 3. Night Owl plunges readers into a world of espionage, high-tech sabotage, and international intrigue. The story follows Brad Trasker, a retired counterintelligence agent still reeling from personal loss and disillusionment. He experiences an abrupt shattering of his quiet life when he attends the launch of a groundbreaking aircraft by Kylie Connor, an innovative aerospace CEO. The event takes a deadly turn when the plane explodes, nearly killing Kylie and setting off a chain of mysterious events, including missing data, a vanishing engineer, and a suspicious death. Mayne keeps the tension high with a mix of forensic detail, advanced technology, and relentless action. As Trasker […]
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A High-Octane Thriller with Unfinished Business
3.5 rounded up to 4. Deep Sleep is a pulse-pounding journey into the shadowy world of espionage and conspiracy. The story centers on Devin Gray, a countersurveillance expert drawn into a dangerous mission following the death of his estranged mother, Helen, a former CIA officer notorious for her paranoia. Most dismissed Helen’s obsession with a vast conspiracy, but when Devin discovers the clues she left behind, he realizes her fears were justified. With the help of former Marine pilot Marnie Young and a team of covert operatives, Devin uncovers a deep-rooted Russian sleeper network that has infiltrated the highest levels of American society. Konkoly’s military background shines through in the […]
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The Paris Betrayal Delivers Nonstop Action
4.5 stars I love finding authors I’ve never read before, and James R. Hannibal is the real deal! The Paris Betrayal is a fast-paced spy thriller that hooked me from the start. The story follows Ben Calix, a skilled operative whose life spirals out of control after a mission in Rome goes wrong. Tasked with uncovering a deadly bioweapon, Ben barely escapes, only to return to Paris and find his world in ruins. Disavowed by his agency, cut off from all support, and hunted by unknown enemies, Ben’s situation couldn’t be worse. The action is nonstop as Ben races across Europe to piece together the conspiracy against him. Along the […]
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Religious Persecution in 16th-Century France
The Burning Chambers is a sweeping historical novel set in 16th-century France during the brutal Wars of Religion between Catholics and Huguenots. The story follows Minou Joubert, a young Catholic woman who receives a cryptic letter stating, “She knows that you live.” This mysterious message sets off a chain of events that entangles her with Piet Reydon, a Huguenot soldier on a dangerous mission. Mosse explores themes of betrayal, loyalty, and forbidden love, all against the backdrop of the era’s violent religious upheaval. Her vivid descriptions and meticulous attention to historical detail bring this tumultuous period to life. One of the standout aspects is how much I learned about the […]
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A Meandering Tale of Community That Misses the Mark
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store has all the ingredients for a great historical novel: a tight-knit community in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, a mysterious skeleton found in a well, and 1930s setting rich with cultural and racial tensions. The story promises to explore themes of racism, love, sacrifice, and the power of community as we go back in time to Chicken Hill, a neighborhood where Jewish immigrants and African Americans live side by side. At the heart of the novel is the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, run by Moshe Ludlow and his wife, Chona. Her determination to protect Dodo, a deaf Black boy, from a cruel institution sets off a […]
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A Unique Tale of Art, War, and Bravery in WWII Italy
3.5 stars rounded down to 3. In 1943, two women find themselves on a mission to save the art treasures of Florence from theft and destruction. Eva Brunner, a German photographer, is documenting art hidden in an Austrian salt mine. Across the ocean, American stenographer Josephine Evans joins the Women’s Army Corps and is assigned to work with the Monuments Men, a group tasked with protecting Europe’s cultural heritage. Initially, Eva believes the Nazi claims that they are safeguarding Florentine artworks from the approaching Allied forces and will return them to their original owners, but she soon realizes their true intentions. Disillusioned with her work, Eva defects and helps Lucia, […]
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Edith Wilson’s Hidden Role in History
The President’s Wife explores the life of Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson. A socialite widow content with travel and friendships, Edith’s life changes dramatically when she marries Woodrow and becomes First Lady. Despite her discomfort, she rises to the challenges, dealing with press scrutiny and World War I. Edith soon becomes indispensable, replacing distracting staff, discussing policy with Woodrow, and encrypting top-secret messages. Her role expands further when she joins Woodrow in France for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The author highlights the turbulent last months of Woodrow’s administration. After his debilitating stroke, Edith shields him from the press, […]
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Neutrality During the Civil War
When the Jessamine Grows is a captivating historical novel set in rural Nash County, North Carolina, during the Civil War. Joetta McBride, a determined woman, runs a small farm with her husband, Ennis, and their two sons. Unlike many of her neighbors, Joetta remains neutral about the war. Her father-in-law, Rudean, a fervent Confederate supporter, influences Henry to join the Confederate army. Joetta insists Ennis go after him, leaving her to manage the farm with her younger son, Robert, and Rudean. As weeks pass without news from Ennis or Henry, Joetta provides food and shelter to soldiers from both sides, earning the ire of the townsfolk and the Home Guard. Branded […]
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