Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

My Name is Rose: A Novel by Alexa Kingaard is a coming of age story with powerful lessons of love and the deeper meaning of family. How far can a child drift from their roots? While her parents find life in the hippie commune idyllic and most pleasant, young Rose suffers powerful conflicting emotions. This isn’t her world and she knows it better when she is sent to a public school in a nearby town. As she is alienated from her family, she discovers love as well. But can she handle the loneliness of growing away from her family? Can she learn to accept her father again for who he is? Follow her emotional journey towards hurt, finding herself, and redefining family.

I enjoy books with strong and well-developed characters and My Name is Rose: A Novel is one such book. Rose is a character that reflects the psychological and emotional challenges that young people deal with and I loved particularly how the author mirrors her personality through the process of changes and the factors that determine her reactions to reality. The premise might not be explosive, but it is interesting how the physical setting can affect someone’s personality and the quality of relationships. The story is built around the central theme of family and the writing beautifully showcases the dynamics within Rose’s family. The prose is tight, punctuated by focused scenes, well-crafted dialogues, and descriptions that add depth to the emotional aspects of the narrative. Alexa Kingaard makes characters come alive in the pages of this novel and weaves a story that entertains immensely.

Reviewed by Molly Edwards for Readers' Favorite

The Internship of Pippa Darling: The Summer Abroad Series, Book 1 is my first Gemma McKay novel and most definitely not my last one! The fact that this takes place in Ireland was enough to hook me alone. But, once I sat down and opened the book, it quickly became a book with characters that stole my heart and kept me hooked to the very end. What can I say about Pippa Darling? She is developed very well. Her character is chiseled beautifully. She's captivating and witty. I loved feeling her emotions like they were my own. Watching her interact with Finn and seeing the sparks that literally flew from the pages as I read was such fun.

Finn Burke's character? Deliciously yummy! I mean, seriously? Gemma McKay did a phenomenal job at creating him. He's hot AND Irish. What girl wouldn't want him? Not to mention he's an author? When he was around Pippa, not only could I feel her emotions, his emotions jumped out and enveloped me. I was cheering for him from the beginning! From start to finish, this New Adult book will leave you spinning from the sizzle and panting with desire for the brooding Irishman. Gemma McKay has a true talent for writing and I highly recommend this book with 5 stars. Each turn of the page brought something different, and I found myself sometimes laughing out loud; other times, I wanted to crawl into the book and follow these beautiful characters to the end of their story. The Internship of Pippa Darling will leave you ready for more hot Irishmen and lots of laughs.

Reviewed by Deepak Menon for Readers' Favorite

Even a minuscule amount of information about our infinite universe would fill a storage device the size of our solar system. Saving Paludis by Clayton Graham is a superb thriller in which the author accepts that interstellar travel, constrained by the onerous limits imposed by Einstein, is only possible through the much speculated and hypothesized Einstein-Rosen bridges, more popularly called ‘gateways’ in space. The reader is spared reading volumes of explanatory pages and can jump right into the meat of this tale of the future of mankind. Set about 2000 years in the future, when mankind has spread its wings, this tale takes place on Paludis, a verdant planet situated 144 light years from Earth at the extreme edge of human colonization. Humans occupied this mineral-rich gem of a planet centuries ago by violent conquest, and they live in beautiful homes in fine cities, mining and stripping minerals from the planet. At the research labs in a university in Paludis, a breakthrough is made that promises to change the future of mankind forever. The subjugated remaining inhabitants - superstitious primitive aliens, the Muskans - are confined to a narrow little stretch of land named Musk. Tak-Elno, a Muskan, flouts Muskan tradition and the laws of the sea-god, Garn, and swims in the ocean, a crime. He lands illegally on the human side of the separating wall and is captured, though the humans have no fear of him or his kind.

Thus begins an incredible chain of events ranging from multiple scenarios on Paludis to exhilarating events and thrilling action on Paludis’s moon, Muskluna, Earth and other celestial bodies. Military spacecraft are destroyed without a clue. Earth blames the helpless planet of Paludis. There follows genocide, murder, war. People go missing, bringing together unforgettable protagonists: Stefan, a policeman, Clare, thrown into the fray by destiny, Pas-Elno, the Muskan son of Tak-Elno, Richard Vidmar, Michelle Sanson and Simon Sangster among others. A protagonist to be remembered is Serpentine, a seer from Muskluna. And there are mysterious presences hovering beneath the surface of Earth’s ocean itself. The plot is original and develops nicely, not an easy task for any author to weave together numerous seemingly unrelated threads, originating from multiple scenarios, towards the breathtaking finale. The cover is attractive and adds to the book's marketability. There is some reference to sex, necessary to preserve the plot, but nothing explicit. The flow is steady, with a rising pitch of mystery and a taut sense of doom enthralling any reader. A memorable quote is: “To sleep is not to live, and who says the future is better than the now?” Clayton Graham's Saving Paludis is definitely a great interstellar thriller and recommended to its targeted audience of young adults and older readers.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

Don't Look at Me by JP Grider is a moving story that explores the question: What happens when we get broken beyond repair? Haven Queen, an air journalist, has put in so much work to succeed and at times she feels irritated because her mother, Hannah Queen, doesn’t appreciate what she’s got. Haven reports on a slasher who disfigures the faces of women by cutting them. Then she becomes a victim, and everything changes. Now with a hole in her face and without a job, she feels terribly lonely, without confidence, and as though someone has stolen her life. Things aren’t working out for Quest after being dishonorably discharged from the army. A collection of books left by his grandfather for Haven — one of his best customers — triggers an encounter that will bring together the lives of these broken characters. Can they heal each other?

This book has a powerful premise. Readers encounter a character who has a job and who has a life, but whose life is suddenly transformed the moment she encounters a vicious creature and her face is disfigured. The question that runs through the reader’s mind is: Can Haven ever be the same again? JP Grider gets readers to pay attention to the characters by letting their humanity and brokenness come out vividly through the narrative. The different layers of the narrative — the psychological, emotional, and physical — are well developed and balanced with empathy. The first person narrative allows readers to connect with the varying emotions experienced by the characters. Don't Look at Me is an interesting novel, infused with a rare sense of realism and dotted with literary beauty. It’s a thought provoking read.

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

Tomoiya's Story: Escape to Darkness by C.A. King is a compelling story that will make a wonderful addition to the bookshelves of fans of supernatural stories. It is well-crafted with compelling characters and a gripping plot. The author plucks readers from their immediate setting and takes them on a rollicking adventure with her characters. Allaynie is a vampire who possesses a priceless asset, one that everyone covets — her tears. Woden is a hunter and a very greedy man who will stop at nothing to get a drop of Allaynie’s tears. Will anyone be able to stop the determined hunter and where can Allaynie find refuge? This is a great story with a unique take on the world of vampires.

When you have read many vampire stories, you tend to see the same concepts rehashed or reformulated over and over, and it can be very boring for readers looking for new exciting stories. But that isn’t the case with Tomoiya's Story: Escape to Darkness. C.A. King features great originality in her work and creates an exciting setting for her readers. I was hooked right off the bat and couldn’t help reading till the surprising denouement of this story. I felt it was too short, but it was a delightful read. The writing is great and readers will be immersed in the powerful descriptions, seduced by the strong narrative voice, and captivated by the extraordinary setting. The author has succeeded in creating a fantasy world where readers can escape and explore other possibilities. It’s a great success in the supernatural genre.

Reviewed by K S Marsden for Readers' Favorite

In The Selah Branch: A Novel of Time Travel and Race in America by Ted Neill, when Kenia's summer intern plans fall through, she thinks that spending months in Selah Branch, researching poor diets in poor communities, will be a frustrating waste of time. She has to research the usability of a new app, designed to help the average American create a more nutritious diet. Kenia doubts the usefulness of the app itself in a Trump state with vast unemployment, alcohol and drug addiction, and where people can't afford or can't source fresh food. What she doesn't know is that maybe fate brought her there to change everything. Kenia is black, and a woman. This is more than enough to make her feel threatened by the way the world is going. Kenia maintains a professional air and quickly becomes interested in the town's history. Selah Branch had once been a forward-thinking utopia where races and genders were equal, and Kenia starts to dig into where it all went wrong.

This story is very current and up to date with the politics and racial tension occurring in the US. It is well-written, and you stand beside Kenia as she goes through the struggles and prejudices that are very real for many people. The story takes on a sci-fi twist, as Kenia learns that she has inherited a time-traveling gene from her African roots. In increasingly long and dangerous jumps, Kenia is shot back to 1953, to the time of the disaster which destroyed Selah. The Selah Branch has a very scientific voice. The first half, in particular, could have been a university essay condemning the political machinations that gave rise to a new wave of racism. There were a few info dumps as a way to give a full and immediate description of the place. The second half is smoother as Kenia starts to make friends with some of the townsfolk, and the mystery of Selah Branch is slowly uncovered. Then the adventure really starts to kick off. In the end, I really enjoyed this book.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

Meet Me Under the Stars by KD Proctor is a tantalizing romance between two irresistible characters — DIY TV star Charlie and a handsome British guy, Nate. It has been three years since Charlie dumped Nate, out of fear of hurting him. She has secrets of her own, but she has never stopped loving him. Nate believes that Charlie never loved him, that she’s been cruel to him. Yet, he still can’t get over losing her. But the last wishes of Gwen, Charlie’s sister, will have the two working together to fulfill that wish, something that also stops Nate from being deported to England to face a family that has already disowned him. Will they have the courage to seize this second chance and make it work?

This is what a real romance feels like — not-so-perfect, genuinely and humanly flawed characters seeking to understand who they are and how they feel, an intense emotional conflict, and a strong plot. Each character is broken in their unique way. The story has many emotional layers and it was just gorgeous watching Nate suffer, clueless of why Charlie would break up with him. KD Proctor has the gift of transporting readers into the hearts of the characters, making them feel the heat, suffer the suspense, and anticipate the outcome.

The realism in this story lifts its level of entertainment and allows readers to see something of themselves in the characters. A fierce romance that will arrest your attention right up to its predictable but satisfying denouement, with writing that is colorful, filled with witticism and a rare sense of humor conveyed through exciting and engaging dialogues. Meet Me Under the Stars turns up the heat and makes sure it stays high.

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

“Where are you? he wondered. Where am I? Where is everybody?” are words that introduce the reader to the strange state of mind in which the protagonist finds himself. Dardic Jennings has just found out that he has been thrust into a completely new reality. His beautiful life with a nice job and a gorgeous fiancée and a home are gone. Now, he finds himself a beggar and in need of help. Sherry Rosen, a psychologist, takes on Dardic as a pro bono case, and as she works with him to bring him to reality, she begins to believe him, and this has staggering effects on her own perception of reality. Could she be losing her mind too? Or is she being pulled out of her reality into Dardic’s world? Cinnamon Kisses by Ra Lynn LoneWalker is a story that fans of Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson will delight in.

Cinnamon Kisses is a psychological novel that features a powerful conundrum. Readers who love books that transport them into the inner workings of the hearts of the characters will love this story. In very beautiful and insightful prose, Ra Lynn LoneWalker creates two memorable characters and explores the psychological problems that faintly brush the minds and hearts of readers. The author masterfully integrates the themes of connection, self-awareness, and the liberating character of reality into the work. The novel features compelling passages and streams of consciousness that will absorb the reader into the viewpoints of the characters. This is a very enjoyable read.

Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite

The Finest Hat in the Whole World by Colleen A. Parkinson follows a family's journey through the years 1917-1937, from the Great War to the Great Depression. Des Stewart is the responsible member of his family, having never married or left home and devoting his life to caring for his younger sister and ailing mother. Both of his brothers lead opposite lives with fractured marriages and children. His family has been haunted by a past of death, guilt, and secrets. All of this changes for Des when his older brother insists he take in nine-year-old Phena after her parents tire of her insolent behavior. As Des tries to steer Phena onto the right path, their unbreakable bond ends up saving them both.

Though the events take place during significant time periods such as the Great Depression and the flu pandemic, the story primarily remains focused on the characters and leaves most of the historical context largely in the background. Redemption is a key factor in several of the characters' lives. Des finds his second chance in life when he gets custody of Phena. He finds fulfillment in his life by giving her a better chance at a future. She's a spit-fire, attacking when she feels attacked, and calling out what she finds to be wrong, but her second chance with Des makes her a stronger character. He teaches her kindness and forgiveness, and gives her a real chance at a happy life. The characters are deeply flawed, but very real with some redeeming themselves along the way while others don't change at all.

The most shocking change is found in Des's younger brother's journey from a drunk bored with his marriage after week two to someone who has some redeeming qualities. Phena has the most significant change as she experiences a coming of age journey going from childhood to adulthood. Colleen A. Parkinson writes a realistic and human story about family and second chances. There's a lot of tragedy, but also a lot of heart as this family may be estranged, but love is still there. Secrets are revealed in this emotional read about how a fractured family becomes whole. The Finest Hat in the Whole World is a story of past regrets and second chances in a journey of love and loss.

Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

Stalker, My Love is a romantic tale of suspense and mystery, written by Zack Scott. As the well-known admirer and stalker of Rosalyn Ray, Rhett Calloway seems to be the likeliest of suspects when Rosalyn disappears, after she storms out of a bar where her friends had been drinking. Rosalyn’s best friend, Elliott Venice, had woken up the next morning in the bed of Earl Wick – Rosalyn’s boyfriend. After finding Rosalyn’s abandoned car overturned by the river bank, a frantic search begins. The discovery of a man’s body nearby leads to more questions than answers, leaving an entire town aghast as all fingers continue to point towards Rhett. Why had Rosalyn been so anxious to leave town that night? Who was she running from? With all parties, from her boyfriend to the mob, under suspicion, people’s deepest and darkest secrets are unveiled as each piece of the puzzle from that evening unfolds, leading to a shocking discovery.

Zack Scott’s incredibly well-written story brings many different genres together in order to tell a complex tale. Rosalyn is the daughter of the most powerful family in town, and their connections and influence reach farther than anybody could have thought. As a battered woman who refuses to leave her abusive boyfriend, Rosalyn was destined to meet with a shocking fate. Each character in the story seems to have motive, an incredible lack of memory, a deep devotion towards Rosalyn and a subconscious regret which they cannot explain. It makes for one of the most exhilarating and thrilling whodunit stories I have ever read, with just the right amount of mystery, humor, love and hate. Rivalries are at their most explosive as the truth slowly comes to light. No crime is more horrifying than the one you had no idea you’d committed before it’s too late. Stalker, My Love is masterfully presented and will be sure to appeal to readers who are die-hard fans of mystery, romance, and more plot twists than the most daring of roller-coasters. I thoroughly enjoyed the emotional journey which Stalker, My Love took me on, and look forward to Zack Scott’s next masterpiece.