Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

A splendid blend of social issues, family drama, and women's fiction, Bedside Manners by Heather Frimmer is a tightly woven story that explores the relationship between mother and daughter and how tragedy can change the way we approach both work and life. Marnie Novak is looking forward to completing medical school, getting married, and embracing the future with hope. But then everything changes when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. Joyce finds herself in a situation that isn’t comfortable, not only because of the painful procedures she undergoes but also because she can’t be in control as has always been the case. While Joyce struggles with accepting her new reality, her daughter experiences an epiphany when tragedy hits one of the patients under her care — life can be so infinitely fragile that the consciousness of how precarious it is becomes the seed of the journey towards finding meaning.

Heather Frimmer writes a story that pulls readers right into the hearts of her characters, evoking empathy and compelling readers on a journey towards compassion. This is a novel that teaches readers how our plans can’t always be what we have dreamed and that when things fall apart, it is the bond that binds one heart to another that defines meaning. The pacing isn’t too fast but steady and the prose is delightful to read. This author shows an unusual understanding of the rhythm of a woman’s heart and the seasons of her soul, exploring emotions that can be complex, yet doing so with confident clarity. Bedside Manners is a narrative about learning to accept one’s fragility and a daughter’s journey towards compassion. A delightful read, indeed!

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Bella Toscana by Nanette Littlestone is a compelling novel, a tale of romance and difficult choices. Toscana is in a very difficult situation, torn between the love of her life that has defined her sense of stability and security, and a romantic adventure that has gripped her heart. Can she leave everything behind to follow her heart and pursue a young and adventurous love and what are the stakes? Follow the choice of this compelling character and the decisions that come along with it.

Nanette Littlestone writes about a reality that many women could face at some point in life and she does so in a way that brings the story home to readers and makes them feel the agonies and excitement of the protagonist. At fifty, Toscana falls for Flynn, a much younger man that she. The reader is keen to find out if she can control the fire that burns within her heart. The setting is beautifully developed, with exciting places to explore in Rome and the beautiful scenery of Tuscany.

What made this novel irresistible for me is the manner in which the author explores the hearts of the characters, the powerful emotions, the ache for love, the passion, and the anxiety. The characters are real and their emotional evolution through the story will remind readers of their own unique journeys. Bella Toscana by Nanette Littlestone is psychologically rich, filled with humanity and a lot of entertainment. A delightful read, indeed.

Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Forgetting Ophelia by Julie C. Gardner is an emotionally charged narrative that explores the possibility of a second chance. Lia Townsend can’t wait to celebrate her fifth wedding anniversary with the man she’s always loved, Jake. This time, she is expecting a trip to Hawaii. But something unexpected happens — Jake walks out of her life. Hurt, broken, and devastated, Lia doesn’t give up. She is determined to win back the man she’s loved so deeply. Follow her as she unveils surprising truths about Jake. When they find themselves brought together after a tragedy, can Lia risk it all over again? Can she erase her pain and win back the man who has hurt her so deeply? The answers to these questions will be interesting for the reader to discover.

Julie C. Gardner is a writer who understands the emotional side of people and explores aspects of emotional intelligence in her writing in a brilliant manner. I enjoyed the way the protagonist is imagined and developed. A typical woman filled with bliss and fulfillment about her marriage. Then suddenly everything crumbles when her heart is broken. The drama is strong, the narrative filled with emotional intensity, the conflict well developed. It is intriguing to follow Lia as her mind does battle with her heart, as she struggles to find answers, to understand what has happened to her. Forgetting Ophelia is deftly plotted, and while there is apparent simplicity in the plot line, it is the strength of the conflict and the depth of character development that make this an engrossing read.

Reviewed by Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite

Deanna Lynn Sletten’s Night Music is a story of hearts divided. Joseph Russo is a soldier in Vietnam. He becomes pen pals with a girl named Charlotte. Char writes to Joe about Grand Falls, her small hometown in Illinois. Joe clings to those letters, they become his lifeline. Char’s words speak of a life he longs to live. After Joe is medically discharged, he heads to Grand Falls, IL to attend the university there. Joe is given a second chance at life and he doesn’t plan to take it for granted. Much to his surprise, Charlotte is in his English Literature class. Joe and Char become friends; their casual friendship could grow into romance except for Deke. Deke is Charlotte’s boyfriend. Deke boldly speaks out against the war in Vietnam. Patriotism and love are tested as Joe, Charlotte and Deke march into their futures. Who will be marching hand in hand when the future unfolds?

Night Music by Deanna Lynn Sletten is a story of war and peace. Sletten’s story is a patchwork quilt. Each square represents a thought, a place, a memory, and a portion of 1970s Americana. The title of the book is the central focus of the narrative. When the nocturnal birds chirp, and the crickets and frogs join in, a calming melody is performed. “All was safe as long as the night music played on.” Sletten’s cast of characters is as diverse as the time period. The Vietnam era challenged the values of our country. The central characters are bold and courageous as they seek out their place in the world. They desire to make a difference, and to discover meaning, but at what cost? The conflict is real and heartfelt – war versus peace. Each character searches for answers to Vietnam, only to realize in the end that there were none. Night Music is a story of love discovered within the chaos of war. Beautifully written, not easily forgotten.

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Chasing Petalouthes is a work of women’s fiction by author Effie Kammenou, and the third book in The Gift Saga. The saga features a Greek American family, continuing through different characters and generations to follow them through trials and tribulations, love, family and clashes of culture. In this installment, which can be read as a standalone volume too, we focus on Evvie and Stella, two young women coming of age with their own struggles to overcome. Evvie guards her heart after a youth filled with hurt, whilst the insecure Stella falls in love with a man who promises her everything, but is he what she really thinks he is?

For fans of the family saga, Chasing Petalouthes is a perfect read. The emotional journeys of both Evvie and Stella are highly relatable but also interesting because of the mixture of the cultural influences and pressure on them due to the clash of their heritage with their current lives. I personally found the guarded personality of Evvie less easy to get along with than Stella’s optimistic but ultimately misguided attitude to finding love, but both women are convincingly written and their tragedies and triumphs pluck the heartstrings of readers from beginning to end. The description of their world and surrounding family and friends is vivid and heartwarming, whilst Effie Kammenou’s unique dialogue style conveys the girls’ cultural roots at the same time as entertaining her audience. Overall, I’d find it very difficult to find fault with Chasing Petalouthes: for family saga fans, this is a must-read and a must-love!

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Willow's Way is a contemporary fiction novel written by Sharon Struth. Pound Busters was Willow’s masterpiece, a wildly successful weight loss empire, which used her guiding principles to help people lose the weight and keep it off. Willow herself was the keystone and inspirational image -- she was elegantly slim and hardened against any form of food frivolity. Pound Busters was also Willow’s own personal albatross as she discovered when a video of her indulging in an awesome slice of pizza went viral. Celebrity Secrets’ video of her fall from grace had garnered thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. Willow’s Board of Directors was clamoring to toss her out as the company’s CEO.

Losing weight had always been Willow’s bete noire, or at least that’s how she had been made to feel growing up with a stepfather who instilled in her from the time she was small the fear that she would never be loveable because of her size. Pound Busters was her way of ensuring her continual triumph over that bleak future, but her carefully erected defenses proved insufficient when disaster struck. First, her husband had publicly announced their breakup and his new romantic interest. Then, her business advisor ran off with both the company’s and her personal funds. Soon, her carefully managed size six had yielded to a more comfortable size ten or twelve (horrors!). Willow rummaged through her mom’s old effects in the hopes that there might be an old bank book she had forgotten about -- and yes, she did find one with a decent balance that was still earning interest. She also found a manila envelope that held secrets about her family, secrets her mom had never shared with her, about a life in England -- and grandparents she never knew about.

Sharon Struth’s contemporary fiction novel, Willow's Way, is a heartwarming and adventure-filled story about a New Yorker who finds her heart and soul in the Cotswolds area of England. Struth deftly addresses image issues and fat shaming, and the disastrous impact these can have on young people as they are growing up. Willow’s inability to see herself as a person of worth because of her size is heartbreaking, and the change in location and culture definitely seems to work for her and in so many ways. The budding romance between her and Owen is a joy to behold, as are her growing attachments to Owen’s daughter, Jilly, and her dog, Henry. Is being elegantly gaunt worth a lifetime of deprivation and unhappiness? Struth’s story answers that question most eloquently. Willow's Way is very highly recommended.

Reviewed by Katherine Williams for Readers' Favorite

A Dress the Color of the Sky by Jennifer Irwin is a romance novel featuring Prudence Aldrich, also known as Prue, a woman who is having a hard time navigating her life. Under the control of her abusive husband, Nick, Prue copes with her pain through various addictions. After having several dangerous sexual encounters with strangers, Prue realizes she is not at fault for her emotions, and checks into Serenity Hills rehabilitation center. There, she discovers who she truly is as a person. She comes to understand that the abuse she has endured her whole life, including her childhood trauma, does not define who she is. She learns that she is here on this earth for a reason, and that it is okay to allow herself to heal and become free from the chains of all her negative experiences.

A Dress the Color of the Sky is a raw, emotional and compelling novel that will help you understand just how resilient victims of trauma can be. Prue is a character you will come to love and admire by the book’s finish; her self-destructive behavior is hard to stomach, but you will cheer for her as she learns to love herself for who she is. Jennifer Irwin’s writing is inviting; the plot goes into a considerable amount of depth that will stick with the reader; her characters are well-rounded and the dialogue is light and witty but heavy when needed. The pacing is just right, and overall the narrative flows nicely and does not seem to miss a beat. This is not your typical romance novel; it is so much more and manages to cover tricky themes like sex addiction in a thoughtful manner. I suggest this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about abuse victims. This book teaches you that no matter what you have done in your past, you are person who is worthy of unconditional love.

Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite

Outlander meets art in Storm at the Keizer Manor by Ramcy Diek. Annet, a pregnant woman from the 21st century, finds herself in the 1800s after she had gone for a walk in the dunes with her boyfriend, Forrest (the father of her unborn child). A storm had surprised them, and apparently transported her - but not him - back in time. Unfortunately for Forrest, some people became suspicious of him because he had last been seen having an argument with his girlfriend. Part of the novel concerns itself with his search for Annet, but the majority of the novel is about how Annet deals with life in the 1800s, and how the outspoken woman who loves to swear and carries a child out of wedlock ends up in a monastery of all places. Initially, Annet thinks it's all a prank, but then she meets the 19th century master painter Alexander Keizer, whose paintings are exhibited in the museum she work for, and who should be long dead. Annet accepts her fate, but wants to find a way home. However, the longer she stays in the past, the more she learns about what has been going on in her life, and what she really needs for happiness.

Readers who love time travel romances, Outlander for example, will feel right at home in the pages of Storm at the Keizer Manor by Ramcy Diek. The novel is not as rich in history as the Outlander series (which has a bit too much of everything for my taste - too much sex, too much history, too many long, winding passages that say nothing at all), but that's not a bad thing. Readers will learn quite a bit about industrialization, especially when it comes to sewing and the sewing machine. The main focus, however, is not on history, but on the development of Annet. I found the novel to be a very pleasant experience and it was also exciting in a certain way. There is, obviously, some romance going on, but it's not over the top, and naked bodies are clearly not the selling point of this novel. It has substance, and I found the ending rather satisfying. I was hoping it would end that way! It's not a taxing read, and ideal for comfortable reading sessions at the end of a busy day.

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

Arms of Grace by Eleanor Chance is a soul-searching story that explores the power of unconditional love, following a woman who will do everything to protect the life of a helpless little baby, even risking her career. When a baby is abandoned at the hospital, Nurse Grace Ward instinctively develops a strong attachment to him and feels the need to protect the child. She names the unconscious child Johnny. In spite of the skill and the attention of the hospital staff, Johnny’s life hangs by a very thin thread. Things change suddenly when a deadly infection spreads through the hospital, distracting Grace from focusing on the baby. But she vows never to give up on the child, even when the prognosis creates conflicting ideas among the staff. Grace stays resolute, determined not to give up. But who is this child and what are his true origins? Could Grace’s life ever be the same by the time she finds out?

Eleanor Chance’s novel is a great success at multiple levels. First, the writing is captivating, featuring powerful and emotionally charged passages, vivid descriptions of both settings and characters, and dialogues that read like real life conversations. The story has a strong psychological depth and the author takes readers into the inner workings of a woman’s heart — a real mother’s heart, indeed. The plot is well-paced and it is constructed to keep the reader turning pages nonstop. I enjoyed the way the author gets the reader to focus on the characters, creating a strong sense of mystery around Johnny's origins and making the reader curious to find out how the child will affect Grace's life. Arms of Grace is intelligently written, a story that inspires and entertains. It’s a must-read!

Reviewed by Stacie Haas for Readers' Favorite

In The Comfort of Secrets: A Sweet Lake Novel Volume 2 by Christine Nolfi, Cat Mendoza is a stunning, thirty-year-old woman trying to find herself as she begins a new job as marketing and events coordinator for the Wayfair Inn in Sweet Lake, Ohio. Cat’s early attempts at confident decision-making are thwarted by the Sweet Lake Sirens, a group of eccentric women who serve as self-appointed guardians of the country town. When Ryan D’Angelo, an up-and-coming advertising executive, travels from Cincinnati to help her promote the Inn, Cat finds herself falling for a man whose secrets endanger their chances for a relationship and may just threaten both of their lives.

The Comfort of Secrets by Christine Nolfi is an elegantly written novel with an endearing protagonist, Cat Mendoza, who is desperately trying to overcome a lack of confidence in her career and life choices. Her life begins to come into focus when she meets Ryan D’Angelo, but he is not who he seems. His life before Cat was filled with uncertainty and pain, a history that irrevocably ties him to his mother, Julia. It’s in the unveiling of the secrets of Ryan, his mother, and their ties to Sweet Lake that this novel really shines. The love story is penetrating and enjoyable, and I loved its depth and meaning as the pair learns to trust each other and determines to acknowledge the past so they can have a future together. Every character in this novel—overbearing Silvia, secretive Frances, skittish Julia, eccentric Ruth, and hopeful Gemma—are more colorful than the next. This is a delightful read and the journey is one I’d take again and again. The Comfort of Secrets is perfectly titled and highly recommended.