Reviewed by Brenda Ballard for Readers' Favorite

No Greater Freedom is a page turning thriller set in Africa. From South Africa to Kenya, unscrupulous characters involved in gun running and animal poaching are intertwined and cross paths with the good guys who are investigating their goings on via land and water. Add unexpected romance to the pot, and you have drama and suspense. The author draws the reader into each plot line and incorporates the plight of the African dealing with government corruption, their hopes and dreams, the lows that people will stoop to in the name of money and power, and the highs of being in love.

Tom Edwards is a very talented wordsmith. No Greater Freedom is captivating; you will not be able to put it down as there is just no stopping point until the last word on the last page. Mr. Edwards writes of the lengths people go to for money and power, the sacrifices they will make in the name of love and the people of a land that has a history of war and famine. This story is believable and easy to fall into. The description of the landscapes, the scenes and characters are so vivid and real that the reader will find themselves easily able to visualize each page's words right down to the clink of a beer glass being set upon the ship's bar or the thud of the body as it finds its final fate...

Reviewed by Lorraine Cobcroft for Readers' Favorite

Lucia Mann says, 'Parents abused by adult children suffer silently, shamed to the marrow by words, moods, acts, and blows that pierce through their imagined bubble of safety and kidnap any notions they had of sharing a mutually loving relationship with their children.' In Addicted to Hate, Lucia Mann relates a heart-wrenching tale of a woman who, after suffering hideous ongoing abuse and injustice, loves her three 'miracle' daughters unconditionally. Endlessly forgiving and excessively indulging, she feeds their sociopathic expectations and tolerates their shocking abuse, destroying relationships that might have finally brought her peace and happiness, and making her own life a living hell. And yet, she survives. Here and there, she reaps little rewards. She enjoys little victories. Ultimately, she finds the strength to defend her own right to happiness, and she builds a world in which she finds peace. Ultimately, her limitless capacity to love is rewarded.

Addicted to Hate is a challenging read in some respects, because it highlights a tragedy that causes indescribable pain for some parents. It shines a light on the frailty of humans and the appalling inhumanity of some of our species. But throughout a tale of suffering, there are glimmers of hope and reassurances of goodness and love. Whenever Maddie is at rock bottom, an angel appears and extends the kindnesses that reassure us of the inherent goodness in most of our kind. Maddie is a survivor. We can't help being in awe of her strength and courage. She richly deserves the admiration and gifts of love she receives at times of greatest need. Her innate intelligence and amazing capabilities might make it difficult for us to believe that people could treat her with such contempt, and impossible to comprehend the hatred and cruelty of the daughters she fought so fiercely to protect and showered with so much love. But if you have ever known a true sociopath intimately... if you have suffered the pain of being seriously abused by someone you love... you will relate to Maddie's flawed response to cruelty and ingratitude. You will recognize her abusers and understand her world. Hopefully, you will be inspired and reassured by her final victory, however hollow it may seem to some.

Addicted to Hate plumbs the depths of human psychology. Lucia Mann is a humanitarian and activist who has clearly seen and studied, in depth, the sociopathic psyche and the workings of the minds of survivors of the sociopath's torment. She offers us insight that is both shocking and inspiring. Lucia says her mission is to give voice to sufferers of brutalities and captivity. In Addicted to Hate, she gives voice to the Maddies of this world, whose undeserved sufferings seem never to destroy the inner strength and goodness that sociopathic partners and offspring so cruelly exploit. Hopefully, she brings wisdom, understanding, strength and hope to some of those who need it, and to so many of us who too often stand on the sidelines when we have the opportunity to help. It's a challenging read, but one that I am confident will leave you richer in understanding and empathy and greatly enriched in strength, courage, and capacity to love.

Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability: Stories from a Small Florida Town in the 1930s is a book that will make you laugh and want to move right into the fictional town of Toad Springs, Florida as soon as possible. Sixteen individual stories make up this book and they all connect together through the same wonderful characters. We are privileged to share in many of their everyday events and attend the county fair, go to church and the women’s sewing circle; spend time in school with the teacher and students; deal with neighbors; experience heartache and love and bingo games. There is a very unusual gator ranch, fights between cats and dogs and their owners, and so much more hilarity. We are introduced to Hester, Gladys, Sweetie, the Stroudamores and other unforgettable townspeople.

As I read each story, I thought 'this one is my favorite' until I finished the next one. I particularly enjoyed seeing so many real people I know in the pages of Seashells, Gator Bones, and the Church of Everlasting Liability. Susan Adger has written a gem and each short story is a work of art. This would be a perfect TV series concentrating on a different story but featuring the same people each week. This book is a wonderful summer read while sitting on the porch or at the pool and sipping a refreshing iced tea. Please do not pass up this extraordinary book. A must-read!

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Six Months by Mona Sedrak is an emotional tale of a woman who must find her strength within to survive and rise from the ashes that was once her life. To say that this is an emotional roller coaster would be an understatement, considering that the author had me on the verge of tears multiple times. The struggles of Mikala Jacobson felt so real at times and I had to pause and stop myself before reading further. This is an intense read with many emotional turns and longing for love that just bleed onto the pages.

This is the story of Mikala Jacobson, a woman who is left to rebuild her life once it was torn down by death, betrayal and lies. There was a time when she had everything; a loving husband, a beautiful daughter and the best friends any person could ask for. However, when her daughter passes away and she finds out bitter truths about her husband, she finds that she never really had the life she thought she did. When the façade broke down, she was left with the ashes of a life she wished she'd had. At her lowest, her friends came to her rescue. When Jake comes forward to help her rebuild her life and make some space for love in her life once again, Mikala finds it hard to let Jake in. Will she give Jake the chance to prove that she can love once again?

This is a brilliant novel that I took time reading. I didn’t want to rush it and I wanted to savor every single word. Mikala’s struggle felt real and as if it was my own. The multiple points of view and the fragmented narrative was enough to make me read on. I enjoyed how the author let Mikala grow and become her own person. She breathed and become a real person in my mind and I could almost imagine her face in my mind. I loved this novel! This is one of the best novels I have read this year.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

Beneath the Flames by Gregory Lee Renz is a mesmerizing story that brims with life and humanity, a story that explores themes of race, love, family, and an adventure within the firefighting department that evokes hope and personal transformation. Mitch Garner is a young farmer and volunteer firefighter who experiences a tragic event and, driven by guilt, leaves his small town in Wisconsin for Milwaukee, seeking to prove his worth and redeem himself. But new challenges await him, including a challenging firefighting assignment in the heart of a busy and dangerous city. When he meets Jasmine Richardson through the mentoring program where he is assigned to teach her younger sister, a new path opens before him. Follow his story as he navigates a delicate dilemma, torn between moving back home to life with his high school sweetheart or risking his life trying to protect Jasmine from a dangerous gang.

Told in a voice that is strong and filled with compassion, Gregory Lee Renz's story demonstrates characters with depth. They are richly developed and with deep psychological and emotional layers. The internal conflict is so brilliantly handled, reflecting the struggle of the protagonist with guilt and his quest for redemption. The prose is gorgeous and, from the very beginning, the author had me captivated by the wonderful imagery and the lyrical nature of the story. “Mitch Garner had been mowing row after mind-numbing row of hay since early morning…” is one of the phrases that offer insight into the life of the protagonist and this manner of expression deepens the narrative and builds the connection between readers and the characters.

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

This Second Chance by D.L. Finn is the story of a woman who finally got her second chance at love; however, there seem to be unseen forces that don't want her to be happy. This is the story of Rachael Battaglia, a woman who has seen the real hardships of a bad marriage. After years of living with an abusive husband, she runs away one night with her two kids and the one that was unborn at that time. She ran away and finally found the man whom she truly loves and who loves her back.

Now newly married, she is as happy as one could be. But her happiness is destroyed when she receives a snow globe as a wedding present. Although innocent, the snow globe reminds her of her ex-husband. Rattled, but determined, she pushes it out of her mind and starts preparing to go on her honeymoon in Hawaii. But should she do that? Is this a sign that something bad is going to happen? She has no idea that she has an Angel with her, but even that Angel cannot save her from the evil that is after her.

I loved it! I'm a fan of D.L. Finn and I especially love her children's books. This Second Chance is very different from what I have read from her and I really liked it. The story was intense, interesting and really well crafted. This is a fast paced novel that had me on the edge of my seat. I was rooting for Rachael and wanted for her to get her happy ending. This was really good and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Reviewed by Sarah Stuart for Readers' Favorite

Ghosts in Sunlight by Gretta Curran Browne is an epic story that spans forty-four years, the class divide between an aristocratic family and a young woman brought up in an orphanage, and the countries of France, America, England, Vietnam, and Sweden. It is a story of obsession – passionate love of people and power, greed and immorality, and implacable, unforgiving hatred. It opens in Paris, a beautiful city despoiled by conquering Nazis, with the sixteen-year-old daughter of a wealthy jeweler, Philippe Castineau. Jacqueline, dressed as a boy and pretending idiocy, joins the French Resistance and kills without mercy. Married, she lives for her son, Marc, whom she sees as a true Castineau. Marc lives on only in letters written to him in Vietnam by Marian – lover, mother, and widow – and the flashback memories of Nam veteran, Marc's friend, Jimmy Overman. Will Jacqueline meet her match in Marc and Marian’s son?

Steeped in literature as one might expect of writers and publishers, invaded by the music of each decade, and gloriously multicultural, Ghosts in Sunlight is the book out of countless thousands I have read that made me, like Phil, answer when asked how I wanted my coffee, say “in peace”. Time after time, I guessed what was coming, and sometimes I was right and sometimes shockingly wrong, but I had to know. The pace is unforgiving, every character strides through the pages alive, vivid, and believable, and the plot is flawless – a superbly written whole. This is an overpowering, sensual love story, a political testimony that argues against American involvement in Vietnam, and an intense thriller. For Gretta Curran Browne’s Ghosts in Sunlight, "the only word is wow”.

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Red Clay, Yellow Grass: A Novel of the 1960s by Richard Barager is a fascinating story that combines romance with war to transport readers to an interesting setting in the sixties. Meet two people, orphan David Noble and Jackie Lundquist, college sweethearts whose relationship takes a dramatic turn for the worse when David decides to join the army and fight in the Vietnam War. Jackie takes this decision very negatively and for years, she refuses to answer David’s letters. After surviving a fierce siege in Khe Sanh, David returns home to meet Jackie, a woman who has morphed into a significant and highly regarded activist, and who now stands against everything David has fought for. She is a strong anti-war activist, while David looks at war as an act of honor; their beliefs separate them. But what is it that can get them to come together again as one?

This is an interesting story with a powerful conflict, a conflict of ideologies that is mirrored in the two protagonists. Richard Barager’s characters are phenomenal and it is interesting how David and Jackie personify two opposing cultural trends of their time. David’s background as an orphan sets him apart in many ways, and one notices a kind of tragic tendency in his attitude, the quest for honor that makes him very vulnerable — perhaps because he has nothing to lose? One of the things I look for in a novel is the strength of the conflict and this author knows how to use conflict to enhance and drive the plot forward. The writing is strong and the descriptions capture vivid images, bringing out deep emotions, and allowing readers a great feel for the characters and the setting. Red Clay, Yellow Grass: A Novel of the 1960s is skillfully plotted, fast-paced, and deftly handled. A very satisfying read!

Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite

If I Should Die is the story of war torn Africa when nations were determined to throw off the last vestiges of colonial rule for self-determination. It is a story of violence set against the breathtaking beauty of the fictitious nation of Nyanga. Students of history will know the real country and remember the terrible misery imposed on its population when savagery and extreme viciousness was so often inflicted upon scores of peaceful farmers and farm workers.

This is not a story just about blacks against whites, since both were killed with equal cruelty. It is more of resistance to change on one side, and the righting of past wrongs on the other. This is a story of a war men fight, knowing in the end they cannot win, but they fight anyway, because it's their job.

As the fight unfolds, it becomes personal for two combatants, the best each side has to offer, and even more so when Sergeant Wilson is severely wounded and taken away for interrogation. Desperate efforts to rescue the Sergeant are made, as a band of comrades attempt from one side, and his fiancé tries another way. But, will they be successful?

Set in a time of terrible strife, the author has put together a very thorough, but intense look at Africa and its struggles. The characterization is first rate as both sides are shown as history reports them to have been. The plot is set as a work of fiction, but the author has indicated it is partially based on a true story. I have no reason to doubt this. Some readers may find the graphic violence and excessive brutality to be excessive; however, as history tells, that was the way it really happened. Very nicely done.

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Slay the Dragon by Laura A. Zubulake is a story that follows the cause of César Rosada, a man who rose from humble origins to become the Finance Minister of his country. Now his mind is set on one thing: to make life better for the working class. Follow his path in a perilous battle against corruption, drugs, and injustice. This could have been a fight to rally the best minds and resources behind him, but he meets opposition from the most influential people and the rich who will do anything, including murder, to maintain the status quo. César Rosada is about to shake the balance of power and this doesn’t sit well with the few who control the economy and politics.

Laura A. Zubulake weaves crime investigation, corruption, and social ills into the story of a man’s gritty fight to defend his values and the lives that matter to him. I loved the protagonist, a man who has to make difficult choices, but who must also deal with his shortcomings. The conflict is developed at multiple levels, from the protagonist’s struggle to reconcile his position with his core values, to the opposition he faces from his peers, and then there is the social plague of opioids. I enjoyed the way the author explores the psychology of the characters, injecting them with humanity and realism. The characters are believable, the plot intelligently done, and the prose exquisite. Slay the Dragon can be read as a succinct indictment of the misuse of power and of what happens when a minority in authority has to make decisions that affect the lives of millions. The story is deft and balanced, as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.