Reviewed by Kathryn Bennett for Readers' Favorite

Children of Eden by Michael Beeney takes us into the world of Harry Lester from London. Harry, like many others, took part in visiting unregulated infertility clinics when he was a medical student. Harry easily donated his genetic material to allow couples who were infertile to seek help. Twenty years after his donation period, Harry has given in to his wanderlust and is a doctor on a cruise ship. This allows him to work, but also travel as much as his heart desires. Harry's lifestyle is luxurious, carefree and fun. Twenty-year-old Jason Brown was born to a mother who desperately wanted him. He was the product of one of those unregulated infertility clinics, his father only ever known as a donor to him. That is until he becomes obsessed with finding out who his father is, and the drive to find this knowledge leads him on a journey around the world.

I have to admit to being a person who has occasionally thought about what children who were conceived by sperm donation felt like when they were older. Diving into this story gave me a little taste of what that might be like, Jason is utterly determined to find out more about his father and I have to admire his ambition. Of course the story is not as straight up as one man trying to find his father. There has to be, after all, a woman involved too, and when you have people who don't know one of their parents and a man who doesn't know where his sperm was used, you can walk into some sticky situations.

Author Michael Beeney has written a fast paced, unique, and enjoyable book. You have mystery, intrigue, a little bit of a criminal element, and romance as well. This book is a page turner that truly does give the reader a little bit of everything. If you are looking for your next read that might make you gasp out loud at some of the situations that pop up, this is going to be one that you will enjoy a great deal.

Reviewed by Jessyca Garcia for Readers' Favorite

I really enjoyed reading Someone Always Loved You by Brooke Williams. When Jay accidentally runs over Jordan with an ambulance on his first day of work, he is absolutely shattered. The story then goes on to tell how Jordan and Jay’s lives came to be the way they are. This story shows that everything happens for a reason.

The characters in this story were all loveable. Every character had a purpose. I felt so bad for Jay. At first I did not understand why he did the things he did, but Williams explained everything eventually. Jordan was a strong female character. I loved how Jordan and Cory’s relationship started. My favorite thing about Someone Always Loved You was all the secrets and mysteries, and how they all came together. Williams reveals the answers to these little mysteries a bit at a time. There are few books I have read that have left me feeling happy at the end. This is one story I will not soon forget.

When I finished reading Someone Always Loved You, I was left with a satisfied smile on my face. This story has it all. Romance, a little mystery, and a whole lot of surprises. Williams’ writing style is calm yet exciting at the same time. This is the first book by Williams that I have read. Since I enjoyed it so much, I look forward to reading her other novels in the future. If you enjoy dramas, then this book is a must-read.

Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

The only way for me to begin my review of Like I Used to Dance by Barbara Frances is to say I loved it! For me to love a fiction book that is simply based on the ups and downs of a loving family in the late '50s in Texas is unusual. I truly didn't know what to expect when I began reading Like I Used to Dance. It's a long novel: would I be bored? Would I even finish it?

Well, Barbara Frances had me completely hooked in the first few pages and I couldn't read it fast enough. I was dying to know what would happen next to Grace and Bud and their three adult children, all raised as good Catholics. When one daughter becomes a nun, the younger daughter marries a mean, misogynistic drunk, and their son falls for a delightful Jewish girl, their peaceful life as farmers is more than a little upset. It becomes even more upset by the entry into their lives of Ceil, a wealthy, beautiful and generous woman with a troubled past she might never have survived if it weren't for the local black woman, May-May. Loved by everyone, May-May is feared by that rotten drunk husband who is hell-bent on killing her, and he nearly succeeds, but there's no way I'm going to be a spoiler here and tell you any more. You just have to read Like I Used to Dance and find out for yourself.

Barbara Frances offers liberal minded readers everything they crave: suspense, violence, evil, sex (never explicit) and tons of good. That timeless theme of good conquering evil propels the novel to satisfying conclusions, though some may question the likelihood of certain situations presented. But if I had to nail what most riveted me to this story, it would be the questions Barbara raises, through her characters, about being born, bred and raised into religions that we live by despite our questions and doubts. Grace, along with her two daughters, and thanks to Ceil, is troubled by the blind adherence to tenets drummed into us since we were infants. These three women ask themselves questions I asked myself as a child, and later as a teen. They, like me, find themselves being freed as they reach answers their religious upbringing would deem sinful. And in finding those answers, they find their real selves. And that self is a far more honest one of whom they can be proud.

Like I Used to Dance by Barbara Frances could almost be described as a "coming of age" book for the bulk of the characters in the story. And there are many of them. Too often for me, a large number of characters in a novel is a turn off. I hate struggling to remember who is who. But this doesn't happen under the skillful pen of Barbara Frances. She knows where she's going with this story, its events, its issues, and its characters, and we, the readers, enjoy every part of the journey. A 5-star book all the way, I highly recommend Like I Used to Dance and I look forward to reading Barbara Frances' next book. I hope she won't keep me waiting too long!

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Maybe Forever: Maybe...Book Three is a contemporary women’s fiction novel written by Kim Golden. Laney is still madly in love with Mads, even though they are married and, with two young kids, finding any pretense at intimacy an impossibility. When they first met, they experienced a magical connection that just dissolved the rest of the world and left only the two of them. Lately, however, Laney is feeling neglected, and she is tired of being the main caretaker of their infant and four-year-old daughter. There have been just too many afternoons when Mads would call and say he’d have to work late again. While she was thrilled that the furniture collective he was a major part of was making a name for itself, she had put her own successful career on hold for the children, and expected that he would at least be there in the evenings for them. Things came to a head when he mentioned an important forum in Milan that would be happening on the weekend they had plans to be away, the weekend of their anniversary. After they made up and decided to celebrate their anniversary a week early at a restaurant and later stay at a hotel, Laney sat alone in the restaurant for hours waiting for Mads, who never showed up.

Kim Golden’s contemporary romance, Maybe Forever: Maybe...Book Three is a well-written and entertaining novel set in Denmark and Florida. Golden’s characters struggle to face the challenges of work and family after Mads’ failure to do so almost destroys their marriage. I especially enjoyed the settings of this story and loved following the family as they explored the beaches in Juno Beach, Florida. While this is the third book in Golden’s Maybe… series, I found it to be an enjoyable stand-alone read with just enough background to allow me to appreciate the history of the characters and the background to the story. The author’s characters are authentic and thoughtful adults, and the device of alternating the husband and wife’s stories in each chapter works marvelously. Maybe Forever is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Valerie Rouse for Readers' Favorite

Finding Maslow by Susan Lee Walberg is an interesting novel about Justina Gonzalez, an avid student, and her budding romance with Daniel. The story begins with Justina so fully absorbed in her studies that she does not realize that Hurricane Sandy is approaching her area in Long Beach, New York. She is brought out of her reverie when she hears a loud banging outside her house. She looks out and sees a guy outside, boarding up a window. Daniel was a handyman that her father had hired to do odd jobs around the house. Daniel duly informed Justina about the coming Hurricane Sandy and they made preparations. The two of them rode out the storm together at Justina’s house. They quickly formed a strong friendship. Justina’s father, Senator Gonzalez, immediately frowned upon their friendship. He voiced his concern as well, as he preferred his daughter to associate with a more elite person, not a local boy.

Finding Maslow is a novel showcasing the vast divide between the haves and the have-nots. Author Susan Walberg has done an excellent job in exposing the reality of the worlds of the poor and the rich. The language used is semi-formal to reflect the seriousness of the author’s message. I love the fact that the author included a thread of romance which many readers can relate to. This tactic also allows us to wish that we could be the hero/heroine and be a partner in a loving relationship. This book encourages the concept of true love despite the odds. It also has a realistic feel to it in that the disaster and its effects are mentioned. I love the irony whereby the two main characters find each other again in a different yet negative environment. Were they destined for each other? Overall, Finding Maslow is an engaging book filled with encouragement. I recommend it to all readers.

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

A story that begins with someone spitting in another’s face and getting tortured and killed for a secret he can’t reveal immediately raises a lot of interest and curiosity in readers, but the grim fun is yet to begin. Rude Boy USA by Victoria Bolton is a riveting story of an unquenchable thirst for power and terror, featuring characters that will draw powerful emotions from readers. Bernie Banks has slowly but surely established himself as a powerful gangster with unusual but ruthless methods of operating. At a time he and his boys are sure to get on the top of the game, a powerful rival joins the game and a waitress causes a distraction that could break the solid Chimera Group. The big question is: who’ll make it to the top in this game of power where no one accepts defeat?

Victoria Bolton’s Rude Boy USA will take readers deep into the psychology of kingpins and the mechanics of the game of power. Bolton writes with unwavering confidence and grace, unveiling a plot that is laced with unusual turns and sudden surprises, a pace that quickens with the reader’s heartbeat. The characters are as real as they are compelling, sometimes funny and at times very, very nasty. The language is blunt, so blunt the reader can squirm at times at what they hear. The dialogue comes off the pages naturally and draws readers in as the plot progresses to a rocket-like climax. This is a book I will gladly recommend to fans of thrillers and crime fiction. An enjoyable read indeed.

Reviewed by Ica Iova for Readers' Favorite

Diana Paul’s novel, Things Unsaid, examines the dynamics of the family. It’s tough getting old — for you and those around you. As an elderly parent, how much do you have the right to expect from your children? As a child of an elderly parent, how far would you go for your parent? Would you do everything humanly possible to maintain your parents’ comfort and lifestyle, even if that comes at the expense of your own family? These are the questions Julia has after another argument with her husband about her parents.

Robert and Aida Whitman, Julia’s parents, live in Safe Harbor, an assisted living community that costs five thousand dollars a month. Moreover, Julia’s father has invested in penny stocks and lost almost everything he had. Julia and her two siblings, Joanne and Andrew, are now supposed to compensate and keep up the lifestyle to which their parents have become accustomed. Except that Andrew and Joanne have their own financial crisis. Julia is left to bail her parents out even as her own family’s finances are at risk, including her daughter’s college fund that is slowly draining away.

Things Unsaid by Diana Paul is a powerful, emotional tale that takes the reader deep into the complex dynamics of a dysfunctional family, alternating between love and obligation. Paul expertly entwines the past and present while exploring Julia’s moral impasse between love and duty for her two families — the one she was born into and the one she has created as an adult.

Reviewed by Hilary Hawkes for Readers' Favorite

Ripples Through Time is Lincoln Cole’s story of elderly Calvin Greenwood as, recently bereaved of his wife Emily and feeling he has no more to live for, he looks back over his life from childhood, through growing up years, marriage, parenthood and into older age. His friend Edward listens to the reminiscing - and the story is presented from the perspectives of the different characters, family members, others, Edward himself, as well as Calvin. A story of memories, relationships, mistakes, hopes, challenges and forgiveness emerges as the intricacies of his life are explained, and the connections between the people in Calvin’s life are revealed.

I found Ripples Through Time a thought-provoking and gripping story. I loved the characters – well-defined, believable – and the way the author reveals their backgrounds, stories, and what links them all to Calvin’s current situation. Lincoln Cole’s writing is of a high standard and the book is carefully plotted, moving along at a nice pace with a good amount of intrigue and suspense-building as it goes. I like the way it is told from the perspectives of different characters, and at different times in the past. The examination of grief, regret, forgiveness, aging, and euthanasia is sensitively and empathetically done, leaving the reader with much to ponder. At the same time this is not a sad story, but a realistic look at one man’s life with humor, friendships, and hope.

The book looks at all the complexities of life and how all the different situations, our different relationships, reactions, mistakes, and decisions add up to make us who we are. It is the story of how Calvin realizes what matters most in life and his hope for forgiveness and peace. Recommended.

Reviewed by Patricia Day for Readers' Favorite

Montpelier Tomorrow by Marylee MacDonald is a well-written and comprehensive account of the family struggles that ensue when one member is diagnosed with ALS. You will meet Sandy and Tony, a young couple and parents to little Josh and baby Ben. Their world is shattered when Tony is diagnosed with ALS. How to cope is the number one question. Sandy’s mother, Colleen, bravely steps in to help however she can. She does not realize the toll it will take on her as the disease not only ravages Tony, but threatens the well-being and the sanity of everyone around him too; hers included. However, she resists the temptation to give up. She is there for the long haul, no matter what. Her love for Sandy and for Tony – a beloved son-in-law - will not allow her to wallow in self-pity.

With the aid of friends, support workers and extended family, they are occasionally relieved of the all-consuming exhaustion that the demands Tony's deterioration brings, as well as the growing tension of worry and stress. One close friend even gives up his home to give them a much-needed break from their distressing everyday burdens. The story continues with clarity and understanding until a completely unexpected event throws all of their beleaguered routine into disarray.

How they face this and how Tony’s condition is eased with drugs and therapy makes for thought-provoking reading. It took me along a road I hope I never have to travel. Not necessarily an easy read, but one that will cause you to thank your lucky stars it is not your life. The author must have done a great deal of research into this topic in order to write such an informative book. A good read - even if I did feel exhausted as I reached the last page. Well done.

Reviewed by Jessyca Garcia for Readers' Favorite

Lady of the Manor by Adrian Q. Heflin is my favorite kind of book. Not since V.C. Andrews’ book, Flowers in the Attic, have I read about so much family drama and so many secrets. The story follows the lives of the Creek family. Rosemary Creek, the evil matriarch, forces her son and his family to live with her in her manor in order to stay in her will. The manor is home to thirty years of dark family secrets. Every member of Rosemary’s family, as well as the whole town, hates her with a passion but is too scared to go against her orders.

I thought Lady of the Manor was a fantastic, drama filled book. Reading about another family’s drama always makes me appreciate my own family. Especially after reading about all of Rosemary Creek’s dark secrets. My favorite thing about this book was all of the secrets. Some of those secrets were absolutely shocking, which made it hard to put down the book in case another secret was coming. Heflin is a genius when it comes to putting twists and turns in a story. I loved how Heflin gave every character a background story telling where they came from. I also liked that every character in this book had a secret.

Lady of the Manor is the type of book that I will read over again just to make sure that I did not miss any secrets. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a V.C. Andrews fan. I am talking about the original V.C. Andrews, not the ghost writer who is far too innocent for my tastes. There is no reason why this book should not be on a best seller list.