Reviewed by Patricia Day for Readers' Favorite

Meet Bridgette Connor. When luck is being issued, she must feel as if she is the last person in line receiving the good stuff. As her life plummets from bad to worse, she throws up her hands in total despair, and runs. Her heart is broken. Her dreams are shattered. She cannot take any more. Driving along a strange road, her life takes a further battering when her car rolls into a ditch. This moment is a pivotal one. After dragging herself from the wreckage of her car, she painfully makes her way to the only business showing lights in the small town. Despite the place being closed, the owner, Alexis Parker, opens up and so begins a whole new chapter in Bridgette’s life. She experiences not only a place of rest, but also a soul renewal, love, and family. A flicker of hope is kindled in her broken spirit into a glorious fire of realization that everything she has run away from can be healed right in this small town, if she is willing to stay.

Last Things by Betta Ferrendelli is a truly engrossing book. Once in a while you read a book that captivates your imagination, and your heart. This is one of those treasures. It is so engaging that I could not put it down. The characters are so real you can almost feel them beside you. Bridgette receives far more than she can give. Her pregnancy and her broken relationship become shadows of the past as she contemplates, and shares in, a life beyond her wildest dreams. A five star read, because it deserves it. The formatting, story and characters are superb. Wonderful story.

Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

Brought To Our Senses by Kathleen H Wheeler is a poignantly depicted fiction novel about the agony and trials of a family as they witness the decline of their mother as she ages. Jessica, Teri, and Elizabeth have begun noticing that their mother, Janice, is starting to exhibit uncharacteristic and bizarre behavior. Janice has started forgetting appointments, has no interest in her favorite daughter's newborn baby, and is remembering events that had never occurred. The sisters are alarmed, but their older brother, Tom, who lives over a thousand miles away, isn't too concerned. In his mind, his mother is depressed from the death of her close friend and boss of over twenty years, and ultimately the loss of her job. Plus, she is just getting older. The siblings have always clashed and have never experienced peaceful relationships, but when their mother's extreme conduct leaves her lost and confused in a police station many miles away, they unite. Despite their turbulent and less than satisfactory history, they must pull together and find a way to help their belligerent and wayward parent. This is their journey.

Brought To Our Senses by Kathleen H Wheeler is a heartrending women's fiction novel that portrays the tragic effects of Alzheimer's disease. The story displays an eye-opening and frighteningly realistic account of the chaos and grief that accompany this dreaded malady. I love that Janice's history is woven throughout the book, allowing the reader to know and understand each of the characters, lending insight into the family's incivility and bickering. Janice's journey through life, from her birth until her death, is the underlying mold that forms the story. Although the degenerative disease is the core of the book, it is a moving story about strength and determination in the face of adversity. I admired the way the author presented such a painful subject and applaud her ability to make it authentic. I recommend it to those who love an inspiring women's fiction novel with the stark element of reality.

Reviewed by Patsy Glans for Readers' Favorite

In A Blazing Gilded Age, by Rich DiSilvio, readers are transported into the world of men who were ahead of their time in the 19th century. Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, Edison and Teddy Roosevelt were determined to make their mark on history and would lie, cheat, and even bribe politicians to make it happen. The people who worked hard, long hours for very little pay are the real heroes; they worked in coal mines, built the impressive buildings, and held down other jobs to support their families. Marc Wozniak, along with his father and brother, worked in one of the coal mines. There had been explosions due to faulty equipment and the lack of proper training, which led to his father dying in the mine. It would take Marc most of his life to bring down the major players and finally make conditions safer for the workers.

In A Blazing Gilded Age, Rich DiSilvio has written not only an entertaining story, but he has given readers an insight into history through his excellent research on the men of the 19th century. He brings to life the story of America through stories of those who helped build and define it. A Blazing Gilded Age brings to light all the struggles and victories of the workers who defined a generation. I learned a great deal from this well-researched, informative and entertaining book. I would recommend this book to all readers, especially teachers looking for an entertaining way for their students to explore a critical time in our history.

Reviewed by Kathryn Bennett for Readers' Favorite

Tiger Pelt by Annabelle Kim takes us into the story of a time that was a savage and sometimes unforgiving time. You are taken into Korea when Japan was an occupying force. A young boy from a farm goes on a quest that will lead him into an adventure that takes him through the entire peninsula of Korea and all the way to crossing the Pacific. In a life running parallel to the young farm boy's, a young girl who is beautiful and vibrant is taken and forced to work as a 'comfort woman' for the Japanese forces. When a monsoon hits, two souls find themselves brought together and escaping death.

The Korean War and the time before and after that is an era that is often overlooked by people. The simple fact that this book takes place in that particular era was attractive to me. Beyond that, Annabelle Kim has crafted a truly beautiful book here with compelling characters and a fantastic story. Some stories make you feel emotional when you read them; they draw you in and refuse to let you go, and for me this was one of them. It is a little hard for me to write this review simply because I don't feel any of my words can truly compare to the feeling this book gives me. Life has a way of bringing people together, but it can also pull them in directions they never thought they would go. If you want to be swept up in a book full of emotion and events that feel so real you can touch them, this is one book you should read.

Reviewed by Dr. Oliva Dsouza for Readers' Favorite

If The Devil Had a Dog by T.K. Lukas is a wonderfully crafted, edge of the seat thriller that has equal amounts of suspense, action, romance and intrigue to keep you glued to the book until the end. Sidney McQueen is fleeing from her drug-dealing, abusive husband who also happens to be a powerful attorney involved with the Mexican cartels. The perfect foil for this lady in distress is the mysterious and intriguing character of Markus Yeager, a former Marine turned CIA operative. Suffering and dealing with his own past and demons, he is initially wary of Sidney. But, as the story unfolds, he becomes the hero who gets pulled deeper into the life he has been trying to avoid. Will Sidney escape the clutches of a man who is willing to do anything to get what he wants? Will Markus be able to overcome his past and emerge as the hero who saves the day?

If The Devil Had a Dog had me hooked from the word go! I simply could not put it down. This action packed book makes you want to finish reading it from start to finish in one go. The thrills and action are fantastic and one cannot wait to turn the page to learn more. Markus and Sidney are the kind of people we all know from somewhere and, even though their situations may not be something we see in our lives, their characters are totally realistic. A must-read for people who love thrillers with lots of action. Good job!

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 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.