Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

In The Blood of the Greeks by Mary D. Brooks is set in the period of World War II. Eva is the daughter of a German commander who has taken the helm of a small Greek town and is “purging” it of Jews. Eva does not accept her father’s views of Jews and does not believe in the injustice of the system inflicted upon her fellow humans. Her heart bleeds and she takes refuge with God to help her come to terms with her life. Zoe lost her family in this mindless war. Her heart is filled with hatred and revenge. When she meets the daughter of the German commander, she wants to claim her life, but soon the two of them bond and form a friendship. Although reluctant at first, soon they soon rely on each other’s strengths to fight the evil within and outside, and win this war against their human nature.

Mary D. Brooks has written a novel that is not only superb, but the plot, the development of the characters, and the setting are perfect. It is an emotional roller coaster ride, but a good one. The story is gripping, the protagonists are amazing and well formed, the setting is realistic, and their friendship is wonderful. Being the first book in a series (promised to be great), the relationship between the two women has not happened yet, but I am absolutely sure that the romance between Eva and Zoe will be affectionate and proper. I loved it! This is one novel that I would love to read again and again.

Reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers' Favorite

Antonia, Dowager Duchess of Roxton, has been in mourning for three years for her beloved dead husband and soul mate. Antonia has lost the man who meant everything to her and it appears she no longer has any enjoyment in life. That is until Jonathon Strang, a larger-than-life, forceful character, bursts into her life like a hurricane, and turns it upside down. Although Antonia is easily ten years older than he is, her amazing beauty and enchanting aura soon have him captivated. Jonathon began life as the second son of an impoverished second son. However, by virtue of hard work and good fortune in the colonies, coupled with several family deaths that have put him in line for a title, Jonathon is very eligible indeed. He also has links with the Roxton family that he wishes to pursue, namely, the illegal misappropriation of property that rightfully is his. One of these properties can only be signed over to him by Antonia herself.

Antonia is initially repelled by the buccaneer: a man whose casual manners are almost insulting in a society obsessed with the niceties of conduct. His blunt approach, his sharp brain, his sense of humor and finally his blatant adoration serve to break down her icy disdain. Set in 1777, in Georgian England, against a backdrop of the imminent French Revolution and the American War of Independence, this compelling love story will appeal to romantics of all ages.

I recently reviewed "Salt Bride" by the same author and was keen to revisit Georgian England. Lucinda Brant has carved a niche for herself in this particular patch of history and she is gifted in weaving both story and history into a compelling read. Passion is the keynote of this novel: abundantly clear in the passion of the main characters, the robust energy of the age, and the pulse of action that creates an energetic and well-paced novel. The author has a wonderful turn of phrase, creating a sense of the opulence and oftentimes excessive luxuriance of the era. Food, drink, clothing, entertainment, and appetites are all described in glowing detail in an era that celebrated abundance and sensual gratification. Although this is the third book in a series, and readers would derive even greater enjoyment by reading the first two as well, this story can stand alone with enough back history threaded through to keep readers in touch with prior events. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers' Favorite

The Earl of Salt Hendon, with good looks, fortune, and the reputation of a lover par excellence, could have any woman he pleased just by crooking his little finger. So when he seemingly lost his reason and married a squire’s daughter, Jane Despard, Society is aghast. Despite being a noted beauty, Jane’s reputation is clouded, an incident in her past having cast a shadow over her marital prospects. What Society does not know is that Jane and the Earl share a dreadful secret: a past encounter that brought them both nothing but misery, misunderstanding, and mistrust. Their marriage four years after that encounter is sealed so that the Earl can discharge a promise to a dying man and Jane can save her stepbrother from financial ruin. Jane holds out the hope that the Earl will finally come to love her. Her husband, alas, is deeply influenced by the scheming Diana, Lady St. John, widow of his cousin and the mother of his nominated heir, his young godson. Can Jane’s love prevail and will the Earl finally open his eyes to the Machiavellian maneuvers of the wicked Lady St. John?

It is the year 1763 and King George III is on the throne. Georgian aristocratic life is synonymous with elegance and a devil-may-care pleasure, and the upper classes enjoy a kind of amorality in their love lives. Men, and women, are inclined to take their pleasure where they choose. It is this angle, the tawdry underbelly of high society that the author captures so brilliantly in this eminently readable novel. The rakish, raucous character of the Georgian period is contrasted superbly with the sophistication of the age. The author has created a love story that fans of historical romance will relish. Details of the politics, manners, social mores, and dress are deftly interspersed within the plot lines to fully flesh out the era and the people in it. The author’s characterization, even with secondary characters, is accurate and believable. The plot is complex and interesting; the author guides the reader though the maze of misunderstandings without ever giving the game away. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

When we first meet Sheila, the main character in Sheryn MacMunn's contemporary fiction novel, Finding Out, she's enduring the public humiliation of being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, in front of her neighbors, on the street outside their co-op building. Sheila is shocked to find out that he's moved out of their co-op while she was on a business trip, taken their joint savings, and found someone else. After their 7-year relationship, she's not sure how to reestablish herself as a single. Her job has also gotten more stressful with the introduction of Crystal, a young, spoiled woman with an important father, who has been made Sheila's direct responsibility. While she's struggling to make sense of it all, she accepts an invitation to dinner with Ruth, an elderly neighbor, for Sunday evening. Ruth says that Sunday evenings are the hardest in the kind of situation that Sheila finds herself in. Along with the dinner, Ruth begins to tell Sheila stories about her life.

Finding Out by Sheryn MacMunn is an impressively smooth and readable novel that weaves present and past together with deceptive ease. Sheila's business and personal problems are crazy and will seem all-too-familiar to many of those who've worked in an office and endured office politics; as well as those who've been on the receiving end of a poorly executed breakup. Where Finding Out really shines, however, is Ruth's series of stories about her childhood and coming of age in Nazi Germany. I felt like I was reading tales spun by a Scheherazade, as the beleaguered family hikes through the woods to find safety and ends up camping throughout the winter in the snow and cold. I have long been a student of WWII history and read many historical novels on the subject. Finding Out ranks up there with the best of them. Finding Out is a remarkable fusion of present and past and well worth reading.

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

1918 by David Cornish is a well-researched historical novel about the pandemic that killed up to 100 million people in the midst of the ending of World War I. The story is told through the eyes of Dr. Edward Noble, an army major and infectious disease sub-specialist, who identifies an unprecedented and dangerous influenza strain. We join Dr. Noble in his war against the disease that caused pandemonium in the United States. At the same time, readers will get to know the man himself and his family.

David Cornish lives up to his expertise as M.D. with the detailed medical history and explanations in the story. The 1918 pandemic is not a piece of history that I know very well, thus this novel is an excellent way for me to learn more about it. The meticulous narrative undeniably has the ability to transport readers back to that era with its actual medical literature and terminology. It also highlights some particular gaps between the medical system of the 20th and 21st century. As a reader with a lack of medical knowledge, this is an easy read for me.

The important element of this novel (and one that should not be understated) is the determination to rise against any odds. Dr. Noble, his associates, and even his family persevere and keep the people around them united. On the whole, 1918 is a must-read, particularly for any medical practitioner, medical student, and epidemiologists, as well as anyone that would like to know more about one of the deadliest pandemics in history.

Reviewed by Stephanie Dagg for Readers' Favorite

"Life's What Happens" by Kathy Clark and Alan Parker encapsulates what happened in 1969 and 1970 to a generation of young people whose lives were irrevocably changed as a result of the first draft lottery in the Vietnam War. We begin and end the story in the present day, seeing some of the characters as they reunite at the Kent University Campus under mysterious circumstances. Their memories and their feelings on revisiting University now that they are so much older and wiser are very poignantly and beautifully portrayed. Those of us of a certain age can all sympathize with Don’s feelings of being invisible to today’s youth. The rest of the novel is the flashback to the fateful time shortly before and after the draft. From party-going youngsters out to have a good time and fit some study in, they are forced to grow up overnight and face huge responsibilities. Some cope, others don’t. Some act wisely, others panic and become victims of their circumstances. There are triumphs and tragedies, happy and sad endings.

This is such an atmospheric novel, cleverly helped along by naming each chapter after a pop song of the period. The authors spare no detail and effort in recreating settings and sensations from the period in question. These range from the minutiae of fashion to the political background to all the turmoil that invades the students’ lives. It seems to be done effortlessly on their part but it calls on great skill and writership qualities to be so evocative. We feel we’re there in all the action, sharing the fun and then the tension and horror or the situations that arise. All the characters we meet are believable and persuasive, both as youths and their older selves. It’s not always easy to maintain interest in a large group of protagonists in a novel but these authors achieve this well. This is a gripping read, with its educational, historical, imaginative and very human ingredients. Brilliant writing.

Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite

As “Book of Pawns” begins, Sir Guy of Gisborne is accompanying Lady Ysabel back to her home in Moncrieff after her mother’s death. This would be a long and adventurous journey throwing Gisborne and Ysabel closely together, forcing a difficult, unwanted relationship between the two of them. Gisborne was a complex, difficult man, not always to be trusted but that didn’t stop the strong physical attraction of passion and lust between the two of them. Wow, this book captured me in the beginning and I was engulfed in its pages until the very end. A true thrilling page turner with characters that will surely keep you on your toes. I enjoyed the visit to the Twelfth century England and the wonderful details and vivid descriptions of the area as well as the life and times of that era. The more I read, the more I really liked Ysabel. Upon returning home, she had to face the reality of her mother’s death and the ruins of her father, which she had only just learned about. And as if that is not enough, Yeabel’s personal life was anything but happy, a devastating marriage to a horrible man, all of the difficult and heart-wrenching things she had to endure, not at all what she hoped life would be for her.

Prue Batten’s “Gisborne: Book of Pawns” is for sure Guy of Gisborne without Robin Hood, without the Sheriff of Nottingham and without Maid Marian. A twisted and enticing tale that you will not want to end, this story will stay with you for a while after you read the last page. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this enticing book to read and enjoy for yourself. This is a book you will be happy you read!

Reviewed by Alice Recker for Readers' Favorite

In Pamela Atherstone's novel ". . . Like Footprints in the Wind" the saga of a family torn apart takes us from unrest in a German-Russian village at the hands of Stalin to their separate destinies. Under Stalin's rule families are uprooted overnight and forced on a journey of unimaginable consequences. Johannes and Katerina pack items they feel can't be left at home and along with their four young children and their two teenage daughters, they begin a trek that ultimately is destined for Siberia. On the treacherous trip Katerina must find a respectable gravesite to bury her baby, Rosina. Eventually they are loaded onto cramped and windowless boxcars and after many days reach their destination. The family is quickly separated and this is the ultimate dagger in the hearts of each of them. Only one daughter is saved and Anya's quest is to find the rest of her family.

Pamela Atherstone's ". . . Like Footprints in the Wind" is a riveting story of a dark phase in history few of us recall. She has the unique ability to tell the tale of the dislocation of German-Russian families in a way that brings home the cruelty of leaders toward their own people. The family Atherstone depicts is like any loving and hard-working family. Their individual destinations end the similarities. Atherstone's talent for telling a story brings the reader to admire the unusual way this particular family learns to cope and the realization of how many others endured unspeakable hardships. My hope is Pamela Atherstone continues her stories to both enlighten and to entertain us all. I look forward to more books coming from this author.

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Elderly Bobby Valentine has his daughter drive him back into the Spanish section of Queens. They park and eat lunch at a cafe which features Italian food and Bobby remembers when a long ago time this cafe was the Starlight Club where Mafia "made" Yip and Red were the owners and ran their illegal businesses out of back private rooms. Yip and Red take really good care of their loyal followers, rewarding Trenchie for his unjust ten years in prison with a restaurant of his own, even letting the young meat deliverer, Bobby Valentine, place discreet bets while they lent him money that he needed for his family. Colorful unforgettable characters pass through these pages like Jimmy the Hat, a handsome hitman who actually succeeds as a movie star. Violence is the norm with rival Mafia organizations like the Gallos and the Profacis looking to move in on Yip's territory. Those were the days.

"The Starlight Club" is an enjoyable, well-written and well-edited book that tells accurately how, decades ago, the Italian Mafia were kings, with connections in politics, police and even Hollywood. Character portrayal is first-rate and the reader will come to appreciate, if not love, Yip, Red, Trenchie, Joey Gallo and the many other "wise guys". Author Joe Corso has created a memorable look into a world long gone as the streets of our country now see not just the Mafia but gangs from countries all over the world. The Prologue and Epilogue with Bobby Valentine looking back on his life as a young man are effective in telling the story. Finally, the plot moves smoothly, if rather violently, to its conclusion making "The Starlight Club" a must read for mystery and Mafia history lovers everywhere.

Reviewed by Jorja Davis for Readers' Favorite

Craig Ridgway leaves his well-educated home at the age of fifteen because he cannot imagine being in school another year. He moves from Philadelphia to Lancaster where he apprentices himself to the master-gunsmith Jakob Wetzel. When Jakob dies in January 1811, twenty-one year-old Craig loses his mentor. Grieving Wetzel’s death and the end of his job and his home, he decides to move west to Pittsburgh. There he stokes coal in one of the town’s new foundries. Craig needs the wide open spaces he fell in love with as he made his way over the mountains of Pennsylvania in the snows of January. He moves on down to the Ohio River to the rich farmlands of Kentucky. He disembarks at Widder’s Landing, deathly ill with pneumonia. The Widder nurses him back to health, extracting his promise to continue through the planting and harvesting seasons. So starts ten months of back-breaking labor. Craig has much to glean from one of Cottonwood Bend’s infamous outcasts. He can do little more than notice Mary, the beautiful daughter of the neighbor whom the Widder curses. Farming suits his restless spirit. Mary Catherine McDonnell suits his tender spirit. Life and love rest on a few hundred acres on the edge of the Ohio River. Setting the life and love on the Kentucky frontier in the years 1811 to 1815 provides a good window into the American history of the period. The years of initial statehood for Kentucky, the Comet of 1811, the New Madrid Earthquakes, and the War of 1812 provide the backdrop where Craig wins and loses and hopes to win again. In the process, he grows to love the land and its people. The small town of Cottonwood Bend bears intentional resemblance to the small town of Cloverport in Breckinridge County.

Price’s vivid descriptions draw on all the senses and paint a vivid picture of a vivid time. His characters are all unique and will continue with the reader long after the 568 pages have flown by, like the great flocks of geese and passenger pigeons that show the change of seasons on this edge of the frontier. The characterizations are all well-rounded as the author develops them in the ways they relate to one another, and to the times in which they live. Eddie Price’s love of history and the scope of his research will make the reader want Price to have been their history teacher when they studied the Great Westward Expansion, the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson, crops of Kentucky, and the mighty river systems that were the first roadways of America. Starting with a real farmhouse built in 1802 on the western edge of Breckinridge County, Price helps us visualize, taste, smell, hear and feel “What stories this old house could tell!” His research is well-grounded and presented in the Introduction and Acknowledgments. This book makes history come alive. Readers will match Price’s book with renowned epic novels like Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, Morgan Llywelyn’s Brian Boru, or Mary Renault’s epic historical novels of the 1960’s. The reader will come away not only with a book they will need to share and read again, but one that will stand the test of time, and teach more history than one could understand any other way.