Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

The Sound Between the Notes: A Novel by Barbara Linn Probst is a great story that had me turning the pages nonstop, a tale of passion, identity, and art. It has been almost sixteen years since Susannah Lewis stopped pursuing a career as a pianist, choosing to devote her time to her first child. Now, she has one chance to reconnect with her passion, the only opportunity to be recognized as one of the musical talents to reckon with. In spite of the length of time she hasn’t been able to play, she still trusts her instinct—muscle memory, they call it—and her emotions. It will be easy, or so she thinks. But right into the audition, she notices something bizarre: her fingers won’t respond to her as they should. She learns that she has a hereditary disease that makes her fingers cramp and curl. As someone who was adopted, she wants to find out who she really is. Follow this compelling protagonist on a breathtaking, emotional journey as she wades through past memories while pursuing a path that redefines her.

The Sound Between the Notes is so beautiful, so lyrical, so musical that it was hard to put down. It is a story that will not only appeal to fans of music but to mothers and anyone looking for a good read. There is music in the writing and Barbara Linn Probst knows how to evoke strong emotions in readers and how to create sounds that they will enjoy. Susannah’s relationship with her husband, Aaron, and her teenage son, James, is skillfully written. As I read the story, it felt like I could hear the protagonist, her questioning moments, her anxiety, and her confidence. I also enjoyed how the author writes about the experience of auditioning. This is a wonderful story from a skillful writer, one that appeals strongly to the heart. It features awesome characters, a twisty plot, and gorgeous writing.

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Dragonflies at Night by Anne Marie Bennett is 'More Than a Love Story.' If you wanted any proof that a mother’s love never dies, this is it. Savannah owns a party planning business and, although she lost both parents at a young age, she is forging ahead with life, surrounded by her surrogate family of friends and co-workers. But Savannah is hiding a secret, a fear of falling ill and dying. That’s why she won't have a family – she’s terrified of leaving them all alone. But her mother is there, watching over her and, when a dragonfly crosses Savannah’s path, she feels a deep connection to her mother. Recording artist Ben is lonely. Nobody wants to know him for who he is, only what they can get out of him. Ben and Savannah meet at a yoga retreat center and are immediately drawn to one another, seeing in each other what others don’t. But when they have to leave the retreat and return home, it's in opposite directions. Can they make it work? Can Savannah really put her fears to one side? And what is the message Savannah’s mother and dragonflies have for them?

Dragonflies at Night by Anne Marie Bennett will leave you feeling warm and tingly inside. A love story with just a touch of the paranormal, this is a story about loss, fear, hope, and redemption; a story that will convince you we all have a soul mate somewhere – we just have to find them. The characters are wonderful, real people that you come to feel you know personally, experiencing their pain and their joy. It’s a lighthearted story with plenty going on, both between the two main characters and in their separate lives and, although it is a fictional story, it feels as though you are a fly on the wall, witnessing the lives of two lonely people coming together. There is more to this world and life than we know of and this story might just leave you looking for your own clues that someone from the other side is with you too.

Reviewed by Lorraine Cobcroft for Readers' Favorite

The Fabric of Us by Kimberly Wenzler is a delightful work of women’s fiction that reassures us beautiful, lasting romance is possible, even against the odds. Olivia Bennet has just turned fifty. She and her husband, Chris, married young. With their oldest child now adult and married and their younger child close to finishing college, they are planning the life they feel they missed when the first of many curveballs plunged them into a life of hard work and financial struggle. They made their bucket list, and now they are planning to travel. But life throws them more curveballs.

Kimberly Wenzler relates Olivia and Chris’s story in chapters that alternate between past and present. I found this a little off-putting at first, but the characters came to life, and I warmed to them. It was easy to relate to the challenges they faced. The story begins with the couple studying at Boston College and Chris playing in a band with college friends. When an unplanned pregnancy disrupts their career plans, they face a tough choice. Years of struggle do not weaken their deep and abiding devotion to each other. Life happens for all of us. Plans get disrupted, and you make adjustments. Challenges break some couples, but others, like Olivia and Chris, weather the storms together. Like all couples, Olivia and Chris faced challenges that threatened their bond and tested their personal strength. But their love carries them through, and they set an excellent example for readers who may be just beginning their journey as a couple or a family. The Fabric of Us is an enjoyable and beautiful love story, and I look forward to reading more of Kimberly Wenzler’s works.

Reviewed by Lorraine Cobcroft for Readers' Favorite

Liz is a single mother working hard to raise her daughter, Jessica, who appears to be the daughter every mother dreams of having: track star, good student, and an all-round good kid. But a phone call from Liz’s ex-husband, summoning her to the hospital, tears their world apart. A man is dead, and it appears Jessica is to blame. But she can’t remember how it happened. In Blind Turn, Cara Sue Achterberg takes readers on a journey to experience the tumultuous ups and downs of emotions felt by a mother struggling to protect her daughter from a terrible fate and to help her move on from debilitating guilt and shame. Blind Turn also puts us in the shoes of the teenager tormented with guilt, struggling with social rejection, and battling terror of her possible fate at the hands of the courts. Can one mistake - one she can’t even recall making - ruin her life?

Blind Turn is an examination of forgiveness. It’s also an examination of love, the challenges of parenting, and of society’s reaction to rumor, innuendo, and assumption. While ultimately an uplifting story, Blind Turn is both tragic and emotional. It is more than a little disturbing to have to acknowledge that this could be anyone’s story. It could happen to you or me. Cara Sue Achterberg has created characters who come to life and make you cry and fear for the people whose emotions you feel as keenly as if you were living their nightmare. She makes you rage at the cruelty and unfairness of people who, based on rumor or assumption, presume the right to judge. And she makes you cheer for those who show compassion and understanding, and ultimately for Jess, whose courage and wisdom are a lesson to us all. I have no hesitation in awarding this superbly written story 5 stars, and I will actively seek out other books by Cara Sue Achterberg. She is clearly a master of her craft. Flawlessly edited. Beautifully presented. Blind Turn is everything I expect a truly great novel to be.

Reviewed by Deborah Lloyd for Readers' Favorite

Life in Saint Paul’s Bay, Malta in 1967 felt stifling for sixteen-year-old Melita. She lived in a male-dominated society, in a family where her father and brothers held the power. When Ross Macdonald came into her life, she found the love and affirmation she had been seeking. Fast forward to 1990 – Emily, Melita’s daughter, was engaged to the love of her life, Troy. She and Melita had been living in Edinburgh, Scotland since she was a baby. Melita held many secrets, including who her father was. Melita was often cold and distant from her daughter, and she continued to be that way until the present time. When Emily and her family moved to Vancouver, Canada, the physical separation only magnified the emotional distance. In Melita, author Gill D. Anderson developed an intriguing portrayal of how a strong-willed and wounded woman can affect those she loves the most.

The character development of both Melita and Emily is well-crafted; the reader can truly feel the pain each one suffered throughout the years. In a similar way, the author portrays other characters, such as Ross, Eddie, and Catherine, in fascinating ways. How people respond to being deeply hurt by those who love them is thought-provoking and often heartrending. The story is told in an engaging, easy-to-read way. Each chapter moves from past times to more current times in a smooth manner. Adding the coronavirus pandemic and how it is affecting family relationships is another compelling aspect. Author Gill D. Anderson has penned an interesting novel in Melita. Melita is an unforgettable character in an unforgettable book.

Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

When typical, suburban socialite Laura Beckman’s life is turned upside down by the premature death of her beloved husband, she has to face some searching questions about herself and how she has conducted her life, especially with respect to her estranged eldest daughter, Brooke. Laura’s husband died in hospital after months of pain amid his constant pleading to Laura to just let him go and help him to die. She was not able to grant his wishes and she was forced to watch him slowly slip away, suffering the whole time. In The Chocolate Shop, author J.J. Spring shows us how Laura’s husband’s death galvanized her thought processes and forced her to consider what she had achieved in her “country-club” life. When the previously austere and conservative Laura commits a rebellious act, so out of character for her, in order to fulfill what she believes would have been her late husband’s final wish, her thought processes about her future direction change forever.

The Chocolate Shop is one of those books that crept up on me. Initially, I wondered where Laura’s pain and angst would lead her but once I became aware of the direction the story was headed, I was hooked and, as I’m sure was the author J. J. Spring’s intention, began to seriously think about the legal, moral and spiritual connotations of assisted suicide. I could not put this book down as we were led down the path of pain, suffering, and angst, beautifully leavened by the sheer joy and thrill of these terminally-ill patients, as they were given the opportunity to fulfill their dying wishes. I won’t spoil the story by telling you the many and varied “last wishes” but they absolutely added the lightening that a story on such a serious topic desperately needed.

The author’s greatest success, in my opinion, was the ability to make such a controversial and sad topic so enjoyable to read. The little twists and turns the author threw into the story, along with the incredible emotions that were beautifully woven through it, definitely made this one of the stand-out reads for me this year. You always know when you are reading a book that grabs your heart and your emotions but also your intellect because you simply don’t want it to end and The Chocolate Shop was one of those books for me. I judge a good book in two ways – 1/ Did it move me and 2/ Will I still be thinking about the themes and the characters days from now. The answer, in this case, to both questions is a resounding, yes! One of the best books of the year for me and although it is targeted mainly as “women’s fiction,” I would say poppycock to that – everyone should read The Chocolate Shop.

Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

The Waratah Inn in Cabarita Beach was run down and neglected as Nan didn’t want to update it and take away all of the memories it held for her over so many years. The sisters - Reeda, Kate and Bindi - each had their own lives and seldom did they return to visit Nan. When they receive the unexpected call that Nan has died, all three drop everything in their lives and hurry to the Inn. They were close as young girls living and playing in the Inn and on the beach but time and life had separated them from spending much time together. They soon learn that Nan’s will asks the girls to decide the fate of the inn together and all must agree to sell it or keep it. At first, they are troubled by this decision and each has their own opinion, but time soon finds them working together and wanting to see the Inn reopen and remain a legacy of their Nan. After several months of hard work, the Inn is ready for business and each of the sisters must decide where their future lies.

I loved reading The Waratah Inn by Lilly Mirren. It is a heartwarming family story about three sisters, Reeda, Kate and Bindi, and their beloved grandmother, Nan. There was family love, determination, mystery, sadness, happiness, friendship, and romance all intertwined to make The Waratah Inn a great book that was hard to put down. Lilly Mirren is a gifted author who created very real, likable characters. I look forward to reading the continuing stories of the sisters and would not be surprised to see this story on the Hallmark Channel (I can even see who will portray the sisters). The Waratah Inn is a book that should not be passed up – it is a guaranteed good read.

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

After Kilimanjaro: A Novel by Gayle Woodson has a strong appeal for fans of women's fiction and adventure. Dr. Sarah Whitaker knows she needs a break. She’s been burned out from work. So, when David, the man who has been central in her life for nearly six years, tells her that he wants to climb Kilimanjaro, she agrees that they can use the grant to work on a malaria vaccine and spend a whole year in Africa. But David backs out, leaving Sarah alone on the plan. She continues on the adventure to Africa where she falls in love with Tanzania. Follow her as she faces new challenges, gets into life-and-death situations, and build new friendships. Can she muster the courage to leave this place with its kind people behind and will her life ever be the same again?

This is an interesting story with wonderful characters. I had the feeling that the novel is well-researched, with beautiful locales and an Africa that readers will want to discover. The setting is impeccable and descriptions from the Kilimanjaro International Airport to the details in the environment and rare finds like Tanzanite -- the precious stone rarer than diamonds -- are colorful and filled with imagery. Character development is wonderful and I enjoyed how characters like Sam help bring out the different layers of the personality of the protagonist. Gayle Woodson writes in prose that is fluid and captivating and fills the writing with exciting dialogues, right from the moment the reader encounters the protagonist in the aircraft to the very last page. After Kilimanjaro: A Novel has a lot of drama and emotionally charged scenes that make for a great read.

Reviewed by Deborah Lloyd for Readers' Favorite

Best friends forever, Anna Dillon and Dante Leola ventured on a medical mission to Ban Nam Khem, a small fishing village on the coast of Thailand. Dante’s nickname for Anna has always been Sparky, illuminating the role she played in his life. But, this brief period of time in Thailand changed their lives forever. Anna met Jude Grayson and had a brief, passionate affair. She needed to return home immediately for a family death, and she never heard from Jude again. She resumed her medical studies and finally was able to move on with her life. Then…everything changed again. The story of Anna, Dante, and Jude is detailed in the novel, In This Life, written by Christine Brae. How the three of them navigate the changes in their lives, colored by secrets and lies, comprises the compelling plot.

This book is a page-turner, engaging the reader from the first page to the last. It is written in four parts; three parts are narrated by Anna, while one part is from Jude’s perspective. The parts span six years of time, covering the evolution of these three relationships and career choices, as well as family and friend relationships. There is another aspect to this story which adds an enriching depth, and that is the addition of faith – faith in God, the Catholic religion, one’s life purpose and eternal life. Author Christine Brae has crafted a wonderful novel titled In This Life; it is a true love story, rich in emotional prose. A thought-provoking read!

Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

Abigail is an almost 40-year-old author whose husband has recently died and for her, the world has stopped. As she comes out of her year-long hibernation from everyone and everything, she decides to start life again. Sight unseen, she buys a small cottage in a little, out of the way Nova Scotia village. Abigail believes that this will give her peace and quiet away from people and distractions to get back to her writing. This plan does not work out very well. Upon arriving, she finds the cottage needs a lot of work before she can really call it home. Her nosy next-door neighbor runs a bed and breakfast and it is also the town meeting place. The peace she was hoping for does not look promising as all the villagers want to meet the lady from New York and have a chance to welcome her to Canada. She hires Liam, a widower with a young daughter, to do the renovations and the two form an unusual friendship – wanting to be friends and maybe something more. Liam and Abigail face many dilemmas as they spend more time together and get into sticky situations; some fun, some life-threatening, some confusing to them both.

The After Wife by Melanie Summers has a lot of things going on at once and they will all keep you glued to the story. I found it hard to stop reading until I could find out what happens between Abigail and Liam. The After Wife is about love, loss, sadness, happiness, friendship, and life. It was impossible not to like Abigail and, as I read, I felt all her pain and all her gladness. Liam and Olive were a sweet and loving father and daughter trying to make it work without their wife and mother. The After Wife by Melanie Summers is certainly a contemporary romance worth reading.