Reviewed By Kayti Nika Raet for Readers' Favorite

The Whip by Karen Kondazian is a Western inspired by the true story of Charlotte “Charley” Parkhurst, an extraordinary woman who lived most of her life in the west as a man. In The Whip, Charley sets out West seeking revenge after falling in love with a runaway slave, then losing him and their family in a horrible way. Dressed as a man she's determined to track down the killer. Once out West, she becomes a stagecoach driver, “Whips”, and along the way to her revenge she kills a famous outlaw, becomes the first woman to vote, and has her housekeeper, unaware that she's a woman, fall in love with her. An extraordinary tale worthy of a movie, The Whip by Karen Kondazian is steeped in historical drama, action, and wonder.

Charley Parkhurst makes for a compelling main character, and especially since The Whip is inspired by a true story, it makes for a very compelling read. It was also very well researched (I loved all the historical tid-bits about piano legs, cat-hauling, and the stagecoach business itself), and Kondazian's novel unfolds cinematically; you can almost feel the sun's rays and smell the horse sweat. While the West has always provided a deep well of creative content, it is always the lesser known, but no less interesting stories that provide the most satisfaction. The Whip by Karen Kondazian is a truly fascinating novel of one woman's determination and grit in the heart of the Old West.

Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Sister Witch: The Life of Moll Dyer (Legends of the Family Dyer) by David Thompson is a paranormal tale with a dark edge, a story that powerfully demonstrates the irresistible pull of evil and allows the reader to follow one woman’s journey as she struggles to find a suitable response to her family’s evil and mysterious legacy. Moll Dyer had thought that life would be different when she immigrated to the New World. Now in Maryland and far away from home, she is somewhat hoping that things could work out for her, but the call of the succubus continues to awaken the darkness in her. Can she resist the evil spirit? That is a question whose answer the reader has to find out.

David Thompson had me enthralled by his story and I couldn’t leave his protagonist for a moment. There is a darkness that whispers through the narrative, a sense of the tragic that is both unsettling and attractive. It isn’t easy to weave a story that makes the reader feel the supernatural, and to create characters that are as real as they are beguiling, but David Thompson has succeeded in doing both. His narrative voice is compelling and natural and readers will enjoy the way he unveils the inner workings of the minds of the characters and the language of their soul. I felt like this was legend, but the beauty of the narrative voice makes readers feel as if they are reading something very real. Sister Witch: The Life of Moll Dyer (Legends of the Family Dyer) is a gorgeous treat for fans of the paranormal. It is gripping and pulsating.

Reviewed By Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

It’s fun to read a book where the author has obviously enjoyed the entire writing process, along with the plot and characters she’s created. That’s what one senses about Alice Rene, an award-winning author, as she brings us The Other Side of Him, a novel written memoir-style and set in the late fifties, early sixties centered around recently graduated Clara Wagner. The opening pages are humorous, immediately captivating readers with the character of Clara’s mother, a feisty German woman, who spends her time sewing and cooking up great German food, and believes Clara needs to find herself a good husband so she can ultimately do the same. However, Clara has other plans. Having recently won a 4-year scholarship to university, she eventually moves away to pursue her decision to become a social worker. Clara’s new independence is exciting, as she becomes BFF’s with Barb, and is wooed by the older, but handsome thoracic surgeon, Greg. Greg treats her to fancy dinners, buys her lavish gifts and sends her roses. Clara enjoys his attention, but senses something isn’t quite right with Greg. As readers find out, Clara is wise to trust that inner voice and her gut instinct, but along the way her life takes some unexpected and nasty turns, and Alice Rene keeps us turning the pages as we learn about The Other Side of Him.

It’s interesting how Rene runs a sub-plot centered on Clara’s friend, Barb, alongside Clara’s story. Barb falls in love, but as plans move toward marriage, she too begins to see a side of her fiance and his father that gives her good reason not to proceed. So as much as anything, The Other Side of Him is about young women maturing, finding themselves, and asserting their independence from their mothers and from men. The novel also provides a good deal of insight into what someone pursuing a career as a social worker goes through, including their early fieldwork with hospital patients. One of the cases Clara encounters, a woman whose husband’s disposition brings on life-threatening asthma attacks, very much parallels her relationship with Greg.

As a social worker, Alice Rene knows of what she speaks. Slowing the plot down from time to time is the detailed information on the various patients with whom Clara works. But that said, one of the strengths of Rene’s writing is her ability to keep her story moving by using lots of dialogue. Hence the story never stays still for very long. This will appeal to less patient readers and is, of course, one of the best ways for characters to reveal themselves. Overall, with some ominous foreshadowing, but plenty of family love and burgeoning romance, The Other Side of Him is a novel that will appeal to women. An easy, enjoyable read.

Reviewed By Tracy Young for Readers' Favorite

Eden and Aiden are copper-haired siblings that have travelled from the shores of Scotland to the west of the US. Eden accompanied her husband, Hugh, to Wyoming with dreams of breeding polo ponies to sell on the lucrative market for such animals. Their well laid plans took a turn for the worse and ten years on we find Eden alone and Aiden on a mission to provide food for his sister in the harsh winter to come. R.F. Gainey has created an epic tale of the west in Light of the Northern Dancers and has taken the reader back to the times of the early settlers and the struggles they faced to make a new life.

Light of the Northern Dancers has an impressive cast of characters that lead you on a path of adventure, peril, tragedy, and joy. This is a tale that will keep you gripped until the very last page. R.F. Gainey has embodied the struggles that women in particular face in this land of hardship. Renegade Indians and wounded grizzly bears would seem to be the greatest threats but for me, the most impressive character in the whole book is the landscape and the magnificent force of Mother Nature. The Bighorn, the Crazy Lady creek, Ten Sleep Canyon and the Powder all evoke a vista that is both unforgiving and deadly, yet compellingly beautiful in parts. You cannot help but be aware of the strength of feeling this part of Wyoming creates in the central characters of the book. Beautifully written and a joy to read!

Reviewed By Thomas A. Peters for Readers' Favorite

For beautiful Lucinda, being born into a well-to-do aristocratic family in 17th century England should have been the beginning of a life of opulence and ease. Unfortunately, her mother, fifth daughter of Lord Hempstead, was disgraced by becoming pregnant while unwed and died shortly after giving birth to Lucinda. Possessing only a pair of her mother’s glass-beaded slippers and otherwise penniless, Lucinda is relegated to a position within the family barely above that of the servants and is raised by a kind maid named Bessie Goose, who treats her lovingly as if she were Lucinda’s mother. Growing up in the household of her cruel family, Lucinda spends her idle moments daydreaming and imagining how her life might turn out if fairy tales were true. When a handsome soldier, Captain Henry Beaupree, is presented to her, Lucinda becomes infatuated and, despite being ill-used by the man, imagines time and again ways in which they might live happily ever after.

Lucinda is so besotted with Henry, and so deeply believes her own fantasies, that she naively follows him from England to the continent and into the middle of the Franco-Dutch War. It is there that she finally becomes disillusioned with Henry, only to transfer her romantic whims onto the person of John Prynce, a down-to-earth surgeon who is “a man of principle in an age of meager morality.” At first it appears that Lucinda may find her storybook ending with this man, but the truth of John’s unfortunate past is revealed, and the spell between the two happy lovers is broken. Circumstance then requires Lucinda to learn to stand on her own two feet and, thanks to her talents, she comes to meet Charles Perrault, the true-life French author of The Tales of Mother Goose. Despite having written some of the most enduring fairy tales in all of history, it is Perrault who helps Lucinda to make the decision to create her own happy ending by taking charge of her own destiny instead of squandering her life waiting for the caprices of fate to present her with happiness.

Hester Velmans’ Slipper is an unexpectedly honest modern novel clothed in the traditional tropes of historical romance. Despite thematically re-imagining the origins of several popular fairy tales (Cinderella chief among several), as a bildungsroman the story is refreshingly authentic in the growth of Lucinda from an unfettered idealist to a nearly-perfected realist. The story contains a depth of nuances and even on page one the author’s knack for joining the fairy tale statement “died of a broken heart” with an utterly direct, medically accurate description of Lucinda’s mother’s death effectively foreshadows the philosophical authenticity of this novel which is so neatly played out in the final scene through the metaphorical use of the titular slipper. Velmans’ narrative, frequently a direct address to the reader in which she brutally critiques the evils of contemporary 17th century society with a modern voice, is perfectly balanced against the dialogue and expertly detailed historical reality in which the characters of this novel live. The charm of the protagonist, as cringe-worthy as some of her more immature actions may be, is more than potent enough to draw the reader along through a story that both pointedly charges us with taking command of our own fate, and tasks us with deciding for ourselves what the moral of our own story should be.

Reviewed By Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

The Composer's Legacy by Michael DeStefano is a beautiful work of fiction, based on a historical personage, that combines the arts with the great skill of storytelling to offer readers an amazing treat. David Whealy is a renowned California music professor who tumbles on an unexpected inheritance. It all starts with a simple, short letter that reads: “You have been named sole beneficiary to the estate of Mr. James Burton West. Further instructions will be forthcoming in accordance with the wishes of the benefactor.”

David’s life changes suddenly as he finds himself catapulted to the other side of the country, digging into the significance of his inheritance from one of the world’s best music composers. He finds more than unpublished music, and it seems to David that his benefactor didn’t even know the extent of his own wealth, guarded in the family from one generation to another since 1724. Now, he’ll find out about his colonial ancestor and an iron key that opens to a secret that could even change the destiny of the entire nation.

The Composer's Legacy is a great work, brilliantly plotted and intelligently written. The reader will enjoy the appreciation of fine music, the excellent writing, and the gripping plot. Michael DeStefano is a great storyteller and his writing features some of the finest literary styles, including a masterful use of the epistolary, great dialogues, and an engaging narrative style that will have the reader gripped from the beginning to the end. The cast of compelling characters, the well-handled themes, and the strong storyline are elements that set this novel apart as a work of great entertainment.

Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

The Secret Journals of Adolf Hitler by A.G. Mogan is a gripping opening book that explores the psychology of one of the historical personages that have shaped the course of modern history, the man responsible for the death of millions of people, Adolf Hitler. Most people will always remember Hitler in association with the Holocaust, but few historians have been able to penetrate the depths of Hitler’s mind. What was it that made him tick? What were the factors — familial, social, and environmental — that made him a historical conundrum that has haunted the human mind, a vile and ruthless dictator, an unpredictable psychotic? In this novel, the author allows Hitler to speak for himself, recreating an exciting character that readers will want to explore, a character who gives clear answers to these questions.

This well-researched and compelling historical novel took me by surprise in many instances and I had no doubt, as I read through the pages, that the author has spent time studying Hitler. I was surprised at some of the facts the author unearthed about Hitler’s troubled childhood, including the abuses, begging in Vienna and nurturing an unrequited love. In these pages, the reader meets the Hitler that history ignores and they can get to the root cause of his madness. Told in Hitler’s own voice, the story is captivating, rich in imagery and psychological depth. A.G. Mogan’s writing is great and I enjoyed the historical references, the clear and compelling narrative voice, and, above all, the portrait of the protagonist. The Secret Journals of Adolf Hitler will entertain and inform both fans of history and psychology and any reader who loves well-crafted stories with characters that are developed to feel as real as one’s road trip companions. This one is an awesome treat for fans of historical novels and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Reviewed By Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

A Strange Beginning is the first riveting entry in The Byron Series by Gretta Curran Browne, a story that transports the reader into the early life of one of England’s most respected personalities and a poet who is favored by many across the world — including me. The author takes the reader into the very early part of the protagonist’s life, when he was barely ten, living with his troubled Scottish mother in rented rooms in Aberdeen. When the reader meets him, he is miserable, going under the name of George Gordon, and abused in more than one way. Read on to find out the stunning discovery that his destiny is somewhere else in England, that he belongs to the aristocracy, and that his real identity, his real name, and his life are associated with wealth.

Gretta Curran Browne’s writing — lyrical and inimitable — will seduce the reader right off the bat, with wonderful offerings of beauty captured in the setting, awesome descriptions of the social life at the time of Byron’s early years, and wonderful insights into the protagonist’s psychological bearings. Listen to how she captures the setting and how she connects it with a trait of the protagonist: “The mountainous beauty of the landscape of Aberdeenshire inspired in him his first great love, a love that was to stay with him for all of his life — a love of solitude.” As one reads through A Strange Beginning, one is in no doubt that the book is well-researched, with relevant historical references and themes that will connect the reader to the England of Byron’s time. It is compelling and utterly delectable to read, a great read for fans of Byron, and readers who are into well-crafted historical novels.

Reviewed By Deborah Lloyd for Readers' Favorite

Reading S.R. Mallery’s first novel, Unexpected Gifts, is like exploring a large wooden chest, full of valuable treasures. The main character, Sonia, is a college student, majoring in psychology. Sonia is the only child of Sam and Lily; Sam is a Vietnam veteran who lost the use of his legs as a result of a war injury. He has never accepted his fate and spends his days in anger laced with alcohol. Sonia too has difficulties in dealing with relationships and the real world. Lily decides to share the history of her and Sam’s relationship, as well as those of several ancestors, with Sonia. By encouraging Sonia to read the diaries and journals, as well as see meaningful souvenirs from the past, Lily gives Sonia much insight into the family history. Eventually, these new insights lead Sonia into understanding the past. She also gains clarity about her personal relationships and the decisions she is making in her own life.

Unexpected Gifts by S.R. Mallery takes the reader on an intriguing journey; not only does the reader become engaged in one young woman’s adventure, they must also wonder about the life experiences of their own ancestors. Historical events are told from the perspective of the individual, rather than from a societal perspective. Ms. Mallery’s clear and descriptive writing style adds to the substantive quality of this work. This is a book to be savored, as there is much information, as well as a captivating story about one family greatly affected by the events of their times. A thought-provoking read indeed!

Reviewed By Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

If Oprah Winfrey reads Struggles of the Womenfolk by T.M. Brown, it will probably be made into a movie one day. I say this because I know Oprah feels strongly about a lot of things, and two of the things she feels most strongly about are the struggles of women and the struggles of black people who grew up in the particular time and era of the South after slavery and before the civil rights movement. I was ten years old in 1968 so I missed the worst of the post-civil war life depicted by T.M. Brown in Struggles of the Womenfolk, but I remember the atmosphere of hate and oppression. Struggles of the Womenfolk opens in 1944 and the author captures the tone of the time and era brilliantly.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and compare Struggles of the Womenfolk to The Color Purple. Struggles of the Womenfolk worked better for me personally because it is less poetic and more realistic in my own humble opinion. T.M. Brown lets the characters tell their story and many of them are not poets, though their lives are the stuff that poetry is carved from. The dialect and dialogue are accurate. The depictions of black life at that time are accurate and direct. Struggles of the Womenfolk may be fated to become an American classic and for me it confirmed something I have always suspected: no matter how bad it is for the men, it is worse for the women. A great American novel.