“Living Spring focuses on Jean, a character we met briefly in Sacred Spring, a single mom who has lost her faith in herself and her ability to make sound decisions. Author DiVoran Lites creates a somewhat suspenseful romance, while still remaining true to the concept of ‘faith’ in this lovely and well-written Christian fiction novel.”

Rock Invasion

Fred Barnett has a vision and perspective we do not see every day. For example, his version of the history of Rock n’ Roll is a little different than I heard it told. From what I understood, Elvis kind of started it all, and then he influenced many others, such as Buddy Holly, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys, and then they spawned a culture of music that formed the basis of music as it is today. After reading Rock Invasion, I have found this is not necessarily so. You see, it all started with a spaceship that is shaped like a jukebox, two space aliens that kind of remind me of my Great-uncle Ben and Great-aunt Henrietta, and of course, the Goddess of Music....
Barnett’s novella is pure fun and fantasy. He spoofs.......

Black Woods reminded me of a scary camping story for adults. I remember telling scary stories as a kid, mostly in a makeshift tent in the backyard with a flashlight under my chin. I think that author Laura Wright LaRoche probably remembers those days as she is telling this story, because her imagination runs beyond Where the Wild Things Are, and goes into some dark and terrifying place. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to cuddle next to her monster, judging from the way the beast rips apart its prey in the first couple of pages.

Wright LaRoche’s main character is named Laura, a sixty-something mushroom-hunting enthusiast whose passion for her hobby is equal to her love for her family. She is a simple woman who is well loved by ...

Mr. Darcy Parries Forth in Love is a continuation of the celebration of love between Jane Austen's characters in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Mr. Ayers transports us to the Regency Era as he explores the bond between the two main characters as newlyweds, six weeks after the wedding. He presents the reader with a happy and devoted couple whose attraction to each other continues well after the honeymoon. Several explicitly romantic scenes are worthy of a few blushes, although the language used to paint them is consistent with that of Austen's time.

I was impressed by Mr. Ayers's portrayal of the characters' enduring love, and the side stories he presented, such as that of Charles Bingley and ...

 The Man with the Blue Hat is creepy and unsettling from the start. From the beginning, the reader is introduced to Beth Fennick, a recently divorced interior designer who is definitely losing it. Obviously, she harbors a grudge against her ex-husband, but also included in the resentment is her ex-best friend, whom Beth alternately calls a "harlot" and "his concubine" and some other choice words. However, as the tale unfolds, Beth also shows some flashes of ill-will toward her seven-year-old daughter, Kirsten. It soon becomes clear that the entire town of Breckenridge is going around the bend, from lack of sleep and very cold weather (in July)...and murderous rages, all possibly caused by The Man with the Blue Hat ...

Rebekah Lyn has a beautiful voice in each of her stories. Her latest, Julianne, is an excellent exploration of the conflict that young professionals experience in contemporary society. They fall into many traps when dating and finding careers. Julianne illustrates how we take many wrong turns in life, but can find our way through love, trust, and spirituality. This Christian romance novel by the author of Summer Storms contains characters that are clearly defined and relevant to the storyline and a plot that is romantic without being sappy. The references to Christianity are not preachy, but instead show the effects of sound decision-making and personal choices that young adults create in their lives, making this novel appealing to all ...

Stephen Faulds narrates Ian's fall from grace and Maureen's descent into mental illness in a lyrical style reminiscent of Australian writer Tim Winton. In Ian's Story, the reader finds a man who is troubled by life, who attempts to find solace in his writing, reading, spirituality, his best friend, and the woman he describes as his "soul mate." Told from many points of view, the characters are humanly flawed, with raw emotions and tragic failings clearly depicted. As in Landscape, Faulds has a knack of getting to the core of his characters' motivations and desires and paints a portrait of each one into the mind of the reader. Faulds is more than a writer; he is an artist as well, using the backdrops of the ...

Mark Brooker is an art teacher, existing in middle-age. His wife, Alison, informs him that she would like out of their marriage, forcing Mark to make some mid-life choices. He decides, after an unexpected monetary windfall and a similarly unanticipated intimacy with a young woman, to pursue his ambition as a landscape artist. Landscape is a beautifully told tale of mid-life crisis and the surprising new worlds that can open for anyone at anytime, plus the complications that can arise. The Australian countryside and mystery of India are fantastic and wild backdrops that illustrate the main character's life changes as well as Author Faulds relates the journey Mark takes in picking up the pieces of his life.  

In REGGAE JIHAD, Cody Sargent is a retired Navy Seal who has landed a small fortune. He has decided to spend this money on a boat so he can sail through retirement on the Carribbean. However, his pleasure cruise is short-lived as he uncovers a plot by Arab terrorists to cripple the American economy. The terrorists now want Cody dead, and what follows is a heart-pounding page turner by author Caleb H. Smith. Smith's descriptions and knowledge are credible and authentic, taking on the points of view of the character's three main cultures. His understanding of the cultures results in the inevitable clash that occurs and drives the plot to its action-packed conclusion.

Poetry from the mind of Natascha Tallowin takes on a life of its own in the collection Some of Her Parts. Vivid imagery and wild descriptions color the contemporary topics of break-ups, illicit sexual trysts, aging, and writers of fiction, among many others. Odes to perfect dream men, Oats (a cat), and Dracula (a masquerader?) are some samples of the subject matter that Tallowin presents from her day to day observations of people, places, things, and thoughts. Tallowin’s use of paradox, as in “The Boy” is a running theme through the collection (“Don’t worry, I’m here; I’m your girl”) as well as her tendency to call out individuals in particular (“Jennifer Schecter, For you the words from...