Reviewed by Keith Julius for Readers' Favorite

In The Serpent and the Eagle: Book One in the Tenochtitlan Trilogy, author Edward Rickford takes us back in time 400 years. It is 1519, and Captain Hernandez Cortes has just landed on the Yucatan Peninsula at the start of what will be his conquest of Mexico. With him is Father Aguilar – a Spanish castaway who has spent the last eight years as a captive of the Mexica people; Pedro de Alvarado – a trusted military advisor to Cortes; and Vitale – a reluctant soldier in the invading army. Along the way, the invaders come across a slave girl named Malintzi, who becomes a trusted part of the expedition when her skills as a translator become known. Interestingly enough, even though Cortes is the individual that most influences the events of the story, we are never privy to his thoughts and inspirations. Rather we view his actions from a distance and wonder at the force that drives him so much to succeed. Likewise his rival leader – Motecuhzoma, the ruler of the Triple Alliance that dominates the One World of the native people – remains elusive, as we follow his generals and counselors but see little of the man himself.

The Serpent and the Eagle is a finely crafted story that will captivate anyone interested in history, and it is obvious Edward Rickford has heavily researched the subject. This is no dry retelling of a 400-year-old story, but rather a lively and entertaining look at people and the greed that drives them. Much of the action is of necessity supposition, but it is presented in a masterful manner where you come to believe the people involved and get drawn into the story of this pivotal time in the history of the Americas. The story concludes in a manner obviously intended by the author to set us up for the next installment of this gripping tale of heroism, greed, and man's inhumanity to man as one race subjugates and overwhelms another because of their misguided sense of superiority. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Reviewed by Shrabastee Chakraborty for Readers' Favorite

“History is written by victors.” So, who can tell if the well-known accounts of the Trojan war reflect the actual truth? In The Fall of the Phoenix, Daniel Kelly incorporates historical events mentioned in Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid and weaves them together to present an alternative version of history. The book starts with the famous duel between Hector and Achilles, ending with the fall of the once-mighty Trojan empire. The ten-year-long siege had exhausted Troy while the Trojan horse succeeded in breaching their hitherto impenetrable walls. However, in Kelly’s version, the Trojans ended the war on their terms, ensuring the downfall of the Greeks with their dying breaths. I would implore you to read the first installment in the saga of these unsung heroes and be a part of their last battle.

I loved how each character came alive under Daniel Kelly’s skilled writing. Priam the Trojan king’s kindness shone brightly in contrast to the endless greed of the Greek king, Agamemnon. Kelly described Achilles, the great hero, as a human being full of compassion, and at times, uncertainty and grief. Apart from the famous heroes, Kelly also introduced many commanders from Troy and Myrmidon, whose feats of bravery left lasting impressions. Diomedes, a Trojan orphan taken captive by Achilles, made me realize how oppressive it must have been for the commoners to live under the siege. Entire generations grew up knowing nothing but a state of war along with a scarcity of essential supplies. Kelly described the Trojan war with vivid details, thus transporting readers to a different era. He also envisioned an ending that deviated from the legendary epics yet seemed even more intriguing. I would recommend The Fall of the Phoenix, a masterpiece of speculative fiction, to any reader interested in history and mythology.

Reviewed by Ioana Drever for Readers' Favorite

In the Company of Like-Minded Women by Elaine Russell follows the lives of three sisters over six weeks in summer 1901, against the backdrop of a developing city - Denver - and the Colorado women’s efforts to advocate and implement political and social reforms. Elizabeth (Lida) Clayton is a widow who is working hard to support her two children. She’s recently qualified as a doctor, fighting against prejudice and trying to balance her studies and being a mother. She’s even converted to Catholicism in order to secure a job. Lida hasn’t seen her sisters in eleven years, but she is very happy to welcome to Denver the much younger Eva who is recovering from scarlet fever and with whom she’s kept in touch, as well as her older sister Mildred with whom she once was very close but who decided to take their mother’s side in a family rift a long time ago. Many things change during their six-week visit - their perspectives, their determination to follow (or not) their hearts, as well as their relationships.

Elaine Russell creates very believable characters. I like that each chapter is written through the voice of a different person, showing things from varying perspectives. The setting - Denver and its surroundings - is vividly described and transports the reader into that time and place. Elaine Russell has clearly done a lot of research into the topography, the fashion, the approach to religion and the topical issues of 1901. I liked the historical references to the fight for women’s rights and the (maybe) lesser-known movement of temperance. If you’re after an easy read with some substance, you will enjoy this book.

Reviewed by Tiffany Ferrell for Readers' Favorite

Life changes dramatically for fifteen-year-old Ella Kühn in August of 1961 in Leah Moyes' book Berlin Butterfly: Ensnare. Berlin is divided by a wall that East Germany is building to keep its residents in. Unfortunately, Ella and her dying father get stuck while she sends her little brother and sweetheart ahead to the west and to freedom. After the death of her adoptive father, Ella gets employment with the wealthy well-to-do mortician Herr Franke in order to pay off the debt of the burial she couldn’t afford. The Franke household is a world of its own with its owners lacking for nothing while chaos erupts as people are killed while desperately trying to seek freedom in the west. The lady of the house is cruel and the older son seems determined to torment her as well. Ella never gives up hope that one day she’ll be able to get past that wall to the family that awaits her. As the months of her servitude continue, things change, people change, and Ella finds herself conflicted between the need to escape or staying with a boy she has come to forgive and love.

I was absolutely captivated by this book from the first page. I admit my history is a bit rusty when it comes to after WWII and what happened to Germany when the wall went up. I was a year old when it finally fell; my father-in-law was there with the US army when it happened. It’s so refreshing to read historical fiction from a period not written about much in that sense. Leah Moyes has done a fantastic job in telling the at times heartbreaking story of Ella Kühn and those first couple years the wall was up and what occurred in East Germany. There are so many colorful and amazing characters that I can’t really choose one that I liked the most. I am anxiously looking forward to the second book and what the future holds for Ella, Anton, and the Franke family.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

Swearing Off Stars by Danielle M. Wong is a historical romance with great twists. Meet Amelia Cole, a young woman who gets to be amongst the first women to study abroad at Oxford University. This might look like an opportunity of a lifetime for most people, but for Amelia, it is the best thing that ever happened as it offers her the freedom she couldn’t enjoy in Brooklyn, living with her domineering parents. It is in Oxford that she meets and falls in love with a strong willed woman, a would-be actress, a fighter and staunch advocate for gender equality, Scarlett Daniels. But for political reasons, their romance is short-lived. Years roll by and Scarlett becomes a successful actress, but then a mysterious letter sets Amelia on a journey across oceans and continents for a woman she’s loved and lost. Can what was lost be retrieved? It’s for the reader to find out.

Swearing Off Stars is a very beautiful and engaging story with memorable characters and well-developed themes. The setting is well-painted and readers can visualize places and objects, and feel the cultural and political elements of the setting easily. I loved the powerful opening that immediately unveils the psychological state of the protagonist, giving the reader a faint idea of the conflict that is masterfully developed throughout the story. “It’s a dark, starless night and part of me wants to turn around. There’s so much energy inside my head, transitory thoughts and heavy regrets.” The prose is impeccable and the first person narrative voice is arresting, pulling the reader irresistibly into the protagonist’s point of view. Danielle M. Wong has a unique gift for plot and thematic development and she makes readers believe in her characters. The story is intelligently plotted, emotionally intense, and beguiling.

Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Kira was a beautiful young translator for the Army of the Soviet Union and Werner, a young soldier with the Wehrmacht, who would meet in Poland following the signing of a non-aggression pact between Hitler and Stalin. Allies, the young pair fell madly in love and pledged themselves to each other. With the war, it was clear this was not going to be a love that could be easily fulfilled, but when Hitler broke the non-aggression pact and the German Panzer divisions rolled into Soviet territory, the allies became enemies and Kira and Werner would be forced onto the battlefield to confront each other. In A Motherland’s Daughter, A Fatherland’s Son: A WWII novel, author Ellie Midwood asks the simple question; how could their love possibly survive the tumultuous and often horrific events of a war? Both of them would witness the true horrors and base behaviours of each other’s armies, and would be forever profoundly changed by what they witnessed. Could they keep the spark of true love alive amidst the pain, suffering and sheer brutality that was the Second World War?

This is not the first book of Ellie Midwood’s I have read, but A Motherland’s Daughter, A Fatherland’s Son would definitely have to rank as one of her finest works to date. The characters, especially Kira and Werner, are so wonderfully well developed and so believable that the reader is drawn into the story and wrapped up in their quest to somehow keep the light of love burning, despite the hatred and horror that is part of their everyday lives now. The author has tapped into a deep well of empathy within the reader and I found myself actively rooting for Kira and Werner, even to the point of talking to these characters as I read the story, something I rarely do. This is a real tribute to Midwood’s ability to draw you deeply into her tales.

Many of the scenes contain graphic violence and pain, making them difficult to read. This was not driven by sensationalism, but more a need to grasp the depth of love that would be required to rise above the circumstances and keep the dream alive. Midwood explores the very worst and basest of the human condition, but tempers it beautifully with the finest qualities of humanity; compassion, understanding, tolerance, love and faith. I was deeply moved by this book and this love affair. It is a real triumph and I cannot recommend it highly enough to both lovers of the genre (WWII) and lovers of the indomitable spirit of humanity and love.

Reviewed by Peggy Jo Wipf for Readers' Favorite

Allie Cresswell takes you on a journey through just one of the many lives that inhabited the distinguished house called Tall Chimneys. Built in the 1600s, this Jacobean house represented a time of landlords and proper families that ruled an area. Tall Chimneys: A British Family Saga Spanning 100 Years centers around the seventh and last child, Evelyn. Even at a young age she is left to fend for herself until the gatekeeper and his wife take her under their wing. At the age of six, and with both parents dead, she is sent to live with her oldest sister until she finishes her schooling at the age of seventeen. She arrives back at Tall Chimneys to discover the tenant manager has made himself quite at home, ready to acquire her as his own. Even after his death, Sylvester Ratton is a threat to her well-being. After her great-nephew reads from her journal and visits Tall Chimneys, it is as if the mantle has been passed to the next generation. This house has a way of haunting a person, and refuses to let go.

I found Tall Chimneys: A British Family Saga Spanning 100 Years very descriptive and enchanting. Allie Cresswell makes you feel the thick fog that engulfs the moors; you hear the crows inside the last standing chimney; the cold and despair creeps inside your bones, just as Evelyn experienced it. I felt this novel was honest about a time when single women had few choices, especially women with little training and no practical skills. Allie Cresswell captured the story of love and the profound discovery that a woman can love more than one man. I found this a beautiful story of the strength of a woman who has faced many hardships, some of her own making, and still she found peace, though shackled to a house that will not let her go.

Reviewed by Alyssa Elmore for Readers' Favorite

A well-to-do Berlin family experiences the devastating effects of WWII in the thrilling historical novel, The German Half-Bloods (The Half-Blood Series Book 1) by Jana Petken. It is September 1939 in Germany. Hitler has risen to power, and the Third Reich is spreading terror throughout Europe. Three young men, Max, Paul, and Wilmot Vogel, must decide their loyalty to one of two of their home countries; England, their mother's homeland, or Germany, their father's homeland. Max, an academic, chooses England as his home, leaving his mother and twin brother, Paul, in Nazi Berlin. Paul, a handsome young doctor, loves his homeland of Germany and refuses to leave its people in the hands of the terror-loving Nazis. Wilmot, the youngest, joins the SS to please his Nazi-loving father, only to discover their horrific acts against humanity. As the war progresses, trust is lost, loyalties are divided, and love is tested, leaving the young men to choose between dedication to country or honoring their integrity. Not all is as it appears on the surface; can one trust their own family?

The German Half-Bloods (The Half-Blood Series Book 1) by Jana Petken is an intense, nail-biting ride through WWII Germany. The unique perspectives of the characters in Germany, as well as those in England, were refreshing and charismatic. I am well-versed in the history of the time period, and I must say that very few historical novels of the period are satisfactorily accurate enough for me to enjoy, this book being a rare exception. I was deeply impressed with the characters' viewpoints and the extent of the plot. The author spun such an intricately woven web of intrigue that I didn't want to stop reading. I was transported back in time and enjoyed every minute of it! I loved this novel! It is beautifully written, and deeply moving. Although there are some historically accurate details that may disturb a younger audience, I feel that this novel is an essential historical read.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

I hesitated before picking up this book, not having read anything from this author, but then I was surprised, seduced by the writing, and found myself immersed in a post-war narrative that melds art, daily life just after the Second World War, the history of the American Monuments Men, and an interesting romance. What is Forgiven by C.F. Yetmen is a fascinating story and the second book in the Anna Klein Trilogy that follows Anna Klein, a German woman working as a translator for Captain Henry Cooper of the Monuments Men. She faces numerous problems in life, including her displaced family, a boy she shelters who is wanted by the authorities, and her marriage. Then there is a crime involving two important pieces of art work she is supposed to keep watch on. While the Monuments Men face imminent closure, she knows she must locate the criminal before things turn against her and her boss. This is a beautiful story handled by deft hands.

You are greeted with exquisite prose from the first sentences of this gripping historical novel. The author has a gift for evoking powerful images and a peculiarity of phrase that hints at the author’s refined sense of humor and evocative language. C.F. Yetmen plunges the reader into post WWII Germany, allowing them vivid images of what life was like in Germany after the war. Anna is a very compelling character, an art archivist and translator, and a woman torn between different worries and worlds. There is an anxiety that eats into her as she navigates the different challenges of her life, and the reader becomes very aware of it, an element of character that enriches the story and lends it a great sense of realism. The characters in this narrative are well sculpted, with convincing backgrounds and cultural identities. What is Forgiven is one of the best post-war novels I have read, deft and balanced, captivating in an irresistible kind of way.

Reviewed by Kimberlee J Benart for Readers' Favorite

If you enjoy a good Jane Austen fan fiction, A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity by A. D'Orazio is just the book for you. In this alternate version of the romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, the engagement between the two passionate protagonists of Pride and Prejudice lasted only a week and two days. Without explanation, Elizabeth called it off, breaking Darcy’s heart in the process. As the story opens, more than a year has passed since they saw each other and they’re about to meet again. Darcy is visiting Netherfield with the Bingleys and their new baby, and Elizabeth is joining them after a long absence from Meryton. Darcy is determined not to let Elizabeth know the depth of the feelings he still holds for her, but how long can he keep up a pretense when faced with her presence?

I really enjoyed reading A Short Period of Exquisite Felicity and not just because I’m a die-hard Jane Austen fan. Even if you’ve never heard of Austen, you’ll find yourself entranced by this story. Here are two people who have come to feel such deep passion for each other, only to have their expectations of future marital bliss ripped away. D'Orazio does a credible job of carrying the tone of the original, while altering the plot. She does an even better job at conveying the thoughts, feelings, and complexity of the characters through a narrative style that is smooth, precise, descriptive, and emotionally evocative. An entertaining read for anyone who appreciates a good love story.