Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Spike: The Search for Redemption by A.A. Freda is the sequel to the author's well received first novel, Goodbye, Rudy Kazoody. The story follows Anthony, a Vietnam vet and NYU law student, and Angel, a musical student at Julliard. They meet when Anthony saves Angel from being arrested – or worse – at a war demonstration and the relationship almost immediately takes off. Anthony is accustomed to being the center of attention but finds he only has eyes for Angel, whom he finds intelligent and intriguing. As the relationship progresses, Anthony finds demons from the past and the ties that bind him to his family and country of birth becoming tighter. When he's accused of murder himself, Anthony must do everything he can to salvage his own life so that he can share it with Angel...if only she'll just hang on.

Spike: The Search for Redemption is a witty and fun story that was easy to dive into, even without having read its predecessor, Goodbye, Rudy Kazoody. A.A. Freda writes with a strong, dialogue driven narrative that helps to genuinely flesh out the characters and breathe life into their stories. Honestly, every time I read a line spoken by Anthony, there was a solid New York accent ringing in my head. That's how good Freda is with dialogue. It just jumps off the page. This is a really well written book with enough twists, turns, and suspense to make it worth the loss of a weekend. I'd recommend this book to all those who enjoy a unique and authentic story line with a side of love and a generous helping of surprises.

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Cycles Of Hatred: Will He? by Linda Heavner Gerald was a hard novel to read because it hit home with me and I am sure it will do the same for many other readers as well. The author opened the novel with a prayer, which made it even more raw and intense for me. The more I read, the more emotional I became. Women have to fight such toxic behavior every day of their lives in many countries and Laura represents all of them. She is vulnerable, strong and resilient at the same time, which makes her a great heroine to connect with.

This is the story of a woman named Laura, who has to fight the misogyny and hatred of a family member. She does not know what she has done to deserve the hatred of her twin brother, but it is still there. Her family kept them apart for years so that Laura could blossom and have her life, but now things are different. Lars is her twin and, even though he hates her, she loves him dearly. Now years later, the two meet again, but with the same results. What has Laura done to deserve this? Can she do something to save their relationship?

Reading this novel felt personal; it felt like I was talking to a friend who was going through a hard time and I could do nothing to ease her pain. It left me feeling raw and open for a long time and I had to stop and compose myself before reading on. Laura was vulnerable yet she was strong when she knew she had no one that could protect her but herself. She knew she had to rely on herself to survive and that’s exactly what she did. To say that I enjoyed this absolutely terrific novel will never be enough.

Reviewed by Gisela Dixon for Readers' Favorite

Dirty C.O. by Rod Ballard is an exciting thriller with a realistic plot and storyline. Dirty C.O. is set against the backdrop of the criminal justice system and the police who work to uphold it. Dirty C.O. tells the story of one such man, Tristan Irving, a correctional officer with a small family of his own. The story begins with an introduction to Tristan himself in the first person and his encounters as an inexperienced correctional officer as he learns the ropes. Working closely with inmates in the prison, Tristan meets the good, the bad, and the ugly. When the opportunity comes his way of making some extra cash, he decides to take it just that one time. However, as is usually the case, the money becomes more and more of a draw until Tristan blurs the line between right and wrong on a regular basis.

I thought Dirty C.O. by Rod Ballard was an exceedingly well written novel and I found myself engrossed in the book and wondering what would happen to Tristan. Tristan, as the main protagonist, is well portrayed with shades of grey, just like everyone else in the world. Although the struggle is between right and wrong, Rod Ballard’s handling of the issue is such that I could honestly see both sides of the story. This novel offers a realistic perspective on the motivations as well as challenges that people face every day in choosing between right and wrong. The depiction of what truly happens inside prisons, the portrayal of inmates, and the rough and tough life that sometimes goes along with it is well done. Overall, this is a great book and a thrilling suspense read that I would certainly recommend.

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

Goodbye, Rudy Kazoody by A.A. Freda is powerful, lyrical, and heartwarming — but the story will break the reader’s heart more than once. Set against the backdrop of a revolutionary New York Bronx neighborhood, this mystery narrates the life of Joey, an emigrant from an Italian city, his quest for love, and his journey to solve the mystery of Rudy Kazoody, a man who might be connected to the tragic fate of a group of teenagers in the early '60s. The mystery of Rudy Kazoody will haunt the young man, become an obsession, and make him feel that he must solve it to become complete. But can he? Can he find out who this mysterious man is?

There is a lot going on in Goodbye, Rudy Kazoody and there is a lot of entertainment for those who love coming-of-age stories and mysteries. The language is wonderful, and the first person narrative is so skillfully executed that it draws readers into the story. The author combines different genres into one story that is fast-paced and utterly intriguing. The characters are carefully sculpted, reflective of the history and culture of the time. Readers will love to watch Joey, the protagonist, as he evolves from a timid young man without the courage to talk to women into a self-confident man taking control and seeking answers. I enjoyed the entertaining and plot-driven dialogues, able to bring powerful images to the minds of readers, and as I read some of them, I got clear ideas of what the characters look and feel like. A.A. Freda is, no doubt, a great narrator, and an accomplished entertainer.

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Love Changes: Is There Enough of Mia to Go Around by Eartha Watts-Hicks follows the story of Mia Love and her heartaches, exploring her emotional growth, and the ultimate choice she has to make between chasing love and embracing her heart’s deepest desire, a story that reminded me so much of the characters in Paolo Coelho’s novels.

Mia stops her college education so she can work and support her live-in boyfriend, Spider. She is head over boots in love with the guy, who works for a simple record label, even if no one sees any reason why she should want to marry him. But then she becomes pregnant and her life revolves around Spider and her newborn baby, but will Spider make the ultimate decision to marry her when he catches a break in the music industry? Over time, Mia and Spider have many arguments on the subject of marriage. But things get even more complicated when a third party comes onto the scene, Romell, who, in the guise of a good friend, gets a whole lot of benefits. Watch this stunning drama as Mia navigates her choices, torn between what others want her to do and what she believes could create her ultimate happiness.

Eartha Watts-Hicks’ novel presents a drama that takes place in everyday life. As I read through this story, I couldn’t help but think about how we make important choices about who to marry and how to live our lives. Love and pain are featured as powerful themes and the reader will be interested to find out how these themes are interwoven with family secrets and lies, building a plot that is both gripping and utterly entertaining. Love Changes: Is There Enough of Mia to Go Around is a story that will delight and inform readers, a page-turner.

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

There are a lot of things you can say about Black and White by Ben Burgess Jr. A lot of good things actually. But the thing that kept popping into my mind as I read it is that this novel is so timely. The Obama era has just finished and the Trump era is just beginning. As far as race relations and racial politics go, America seems to be a very angry and confused place. I don’t go out of my way to read novels like Black and White. They can be a little depressing if they are not told just right. Everybody has a different idea about what “just right” is, but for me, Ben Burgess gets it exactly right in Black and White. It is a controversial and emotional subject, but it is a great novel. Good writing can make the controversial exciting and even appealing. Ben Burgess isn't a good writer. He’s a great one.

Black and White takes two racially charged legal cases that would be problematic for any attorney and gives them to a team that consists of one black lawyer and a white one. They have very different backgrounds. They have very different lives, even though they work for the same firm. This entire novel is a study in the contrast between white lives in America and black lives in America. Ben Burgess writes about this difference, not by telling us but by showing us. Black and White is about as realistic as writing can get. It takes a master to get America just right in a story like this and Ben Burgess does a masterful job of dissecting life from various social, economic, and legal perspectives.

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Bliss by B.A. Talarico is a thrilling ride into the drug world where anything and everything can happen. The story follows two men from opposite sides of life. These polar opposites started a dangerous journey with their ambition and determination. JJ always had a thirst to do something in the chemical industry. He always wanted to help people and create drugs for pharmaceutical companies and have them help people to the best of his abilities.

Smurf was also born in Chicago, but on the opposite side of JJ's tracks. When JJ was dreaming about going to college, Smurf was thinking about all the ways through which he could become a great force in the drug world. Fast forward a few years and both have achieved their dreams. JJ created a compound, Bliss, which can benefit millions. But if it is mixed with Smurf’s plans, it can be dangerous and the beginning of a tug of war that can end very, very badly.

Where do I start? This novel is an avid reader’s heaven. The writing style, the pace, the characters, the suspense, the setting, the thrill, the dialogue, and the picture perfect quality of the story are everything a reader looks for. I was happy and satisfied by the time I was done with this novel and I finished it quite quickly because I could not wait to see how it ended. The writing style is perfect for this genre. It keeps you interested and your heart beating to make sure that you don’t put this novel down until you have read it till the end.

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Code Black by Joe Peters and Bill Fleming is an interesting blend of mystery and thriller set against the not-so-obvious reality of modern Boston. One of the MBTA transit stations has been hit by what appears to be a terrorist attack and everyone is speculating. It would be easy to accuse international terrorists, and that is normal, except that there is a twist in the story that is fed to the public. What if this attack is actually a staged scene, a disguise by someone or a group too close to home? Could someone be using the international terrorists to cover up a homicide? Only one man knows the truth and what he knows will surprise everyone, plus readers. Does he have what it takes to bring the truth to light?

Code Black by Joe Peters and Bill Fleming is a story that unveils the problems the MBTA faces every day. The characters are engaging in a unique kind of way and the authors have this uncanny ability to make readers feel as if they were walking side by side with the characters. The prose is highly descriptive and paints a very convincing reality of Boston with its ills and woes, the hostilities, the stabbings-in-the-back, the racial conflicts, and the problems that people have in their daily lives. The plot is filled with numerous instances of humor and suspense, well-structured to make readers keep turning the pages. The social and political commentary will come across as an eye-opener to readers who know little about Boston.

Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

The Velvet Rope is a memoir written by Brent Lymer, detailing life as a nightclub doorman in the 1990s. Working in a low-paying, high risk job is the most fun that Brent had ever had. Wearing a suit and working in an office means having to be careful at all times that you don’t offend or hurt people’s feelings, but working the door at a busy nightclub allows him to act like a man and enjoy life at the same time. Whenever Brent shows up at his day job, sporting a black eye after a rough night on the job, he tells the curious-minded that it is a sports injury from a hockey stick during a game from the night before. Some believe him. One of the most important aspects of the job is knowing that your colleagues will have your back (and that they know that you have theirs) at all times. The other is being able to win a debate over whether Superman or Batman would be victorious in a fight against each other. Often, when ‘escorting’ one bad apple from the premises, the bad apple’s friends will want to take you on for simply doing your job. Without backup, 'hockey stick' sporting injuries become a regular event.

I grabbed this book out of intrigue, yet found myself laughing out loud before I had even hit the first chapter. Brent Lymer has a unique spin on the English language which is up front and jumps out at you, tickling your funny bone one minute, while leaving you stunned and fully gobsmacked the next. The Velvet Rope is truly an eye-opener, revealing the perks and perils of being a doorman/bouncer/host. Thanks to Brent Lymer’s hard-hitting delivery, in depth behind-the-scenes views, and stories of the dangers of the job, the humor that keeps the night flowing smoothly, and the rough-and-tumble that drunken patrons put forward, I have a whole new respect for the staff that work the door of any establishment, keeping the patrons and employees safe while ensuring their own people stay in one piece by the end of the night. I very much enjoyed reading The Velvet Rope and recommend it to anybody who loves a good laugh while learning about the unsung heroes that keep us safe at party time.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Ninth Ward Blues is an urban fiction novel written by Janelle Smith Toussant. Tracey's life changed dramatically when she was thirteen years old. Her parents hadn't been getting along for some time, but they finally decided they just couldn't live in the same house anymore. Tracey's dad moved into an apartment, and her mom sent Tracey and her little sister, Lynette, to the Ninth Ward to live with their grandmother, Ma-Me, so she could go to college and get a profession. When Tracey's dad told her the news, her mind was on the Cosby Show she was missing. By the time he finished, she realized that she was losing the parent she had bonded most closely with. Tracey was her daddy's girl, even if she didn't look at all like him and shared her mother’s features. She and her dad both sang -- singing and music formed the center of their world. Tracey's first public performances were at the Mount Zion Baptist Church where the family worshipped, and her first solo there was at the age of four. Some day Tracey would be a singing star like her dad, but for now, she was missing both her mom and her dad, and had to get used to living with Ma-Me, who was loving but probably the grumpiest person Tracey had ever met.

Janelle Smith Toussant's urban fiction novel, Ninth Ward Blues, is a masterfully told tale of a young teen's coming of age and early adult years in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. I was immediately transfixed by Tracey's tale and frequently had to remind myself that this was a novel and not a memoir. Within the first few chapters, however, Tracey had become so real to me that her being a fictional character didn't matter in the least. Toussant had so fully created her, breathed life into her thoughts, dreams and aspirations that the magic just happened. Ninth Ward Blues is a compelling, lyrical and magnificently written book. Toussant's characters leap from the pages with all their faults, flaws and humanity there for the reader to share, commiserate with, and be inspired by. I couldn't pull myself away from the story, even for dinner, and was so pleased to discover that there's a sequel in the offing. Ninth Ward Blues is a dream of a novel, and it's most highly recommended.