Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

The Fearless Path: What a Movie Stuntman's Spiritual Awakening Can Teach You about Success by Curtis Rivers is a non-fiction, inspirational book that will change the way readers look at life, reality, and themselves. In this book, the author shares his wonderful stories, surprising readers with powerful lessons from his personal experience. One of the top Hollywood movie stuntmen, the author shows readers how he was able to walk past the fear that held him back to reach deeper levels of inner freedom and go after what really mattered to him. Follow the author in a life-changing trek across the mysterious eastern mountains, drink from the wisdom he shares and learn from the incredible lessons he offers.

The writing is crisp and upbeat and the reader will enjoy the way the author weaves his personal experiences into the writing. This is a book that will have a strong appeal for readers who are seekers and dreamers, people who experience the unhappiness of not pursuing their dreams, and those who want to make a difference. The author integrates deep spiritual insights into the work, showcasing the law of attraction in a way that makes it very easy for readers to understand. The Fearless Path: What a Movie Stuntman's Spiritual Awakening Can Teach You about Success will uplift your spirits and make you believe in yourself again. It will offer the tools that you need to reinforce your sense of self-worth and build your self-confidence. Curtis Rivers’ work is a gift for readers, a must-read for anyone who wants to beat fear and achieve success in life and business.

Reviewed by Cecil Brewer for Readers' Favorite

Jen Ruiz's passionate love of travel on the cheap and her air travel experiences incorporated into The Affordable Flight Guide have many rewards for the travel oriented reader. Who knew the best way to search for flights was to use the "private window" on your browser to avoid all the nefarious trackers built into the search systems? A simple tip, but very useful, and one of many. Her details like this one in each section are eye-opening and always practical. Travel tips, like downloading language files into a translation app, and other short quick suggestions confirm her expert knowledge. Ruiz advocates traveling as light as possible and avoiding checked bags. Her tip on what kind of carry-on to avoid buying explains the problems you can have at the gate.

When I was a "road-warrior" in a different time, I never bothered to look for the best price, or best connections. The Affordable Flight Guide: How to Find Cheap Airline Tickets and See the World on a Budget has impacted my planning viewpoint about booking habits and traveling on my own dime. Using budget airlines to get from point A to B and even on to C was a revelation to me. Ruiz chronicles her flight experiences on several budget airlines and made a compelling case for considering them. Her critiques of them are helpful if you are considering using any of the ones she includes. Besides her advice and tips on air travel, she includes payment methods and choices to consider. I think her writing style documenting, commenting, and explaining her air travel experiences is nicely done. I enjoyed the conversational style of Jen Ruiz's prose; it makes this book easy to read.

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

The Crate: A Story of War, a Murder, and Justice by Deborah Levison is a true crime story that started with the discovery of a crate under the crawl spaces of a cottage owned by the Vadas family in July 2010. In the first part of the book, Levison tells how she received the news from her older brother, Dr. Peter Vadas. She reflects on her family's move from Canada to the U.S., her memories of the close-knit community of Hungarian Jews in Toronto, and how her parents bought land and built a cozy cottage in Muskoka, Ontario. In the second part of The Crate, readers are told more about Levison’s parents surviving the Nazi brutality in WWII, while unraveling the gruesome murder, the identity of the victim, and the man responsible for it.

The narrative shifts back and forth between the old memories, her childhood, her parents’ past, and the murder investigation, including how the family coped with it. The tangential style of the narrative might slightly disrupt the pace for some readers, but it always returns to the subject matter at hand with clear prose. It’s not hard to understand Levison’s nostalgic connection to the cottage. All the thoughts, care and hard work that had been put into the cottage, the summer memories of family spending time there together are instantly defiled by a gruesome act. The Crate－albeit combined with fond and poignant memories of the Vadas family－is a true crime story with disturbing details. It’s a tough topic to contemplate and a grim reminder of the worst of humanity.

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

As the subtitle suggests, Embracing the Abyss by John Smith is a true story of unknowingly becoming part of a fraud scandal, receiving a presidential pardon, and being surprised by a spiritual awakening. The memoir begins three days before the protagonist’s appearance in federal court before the US District Judge Robert Maloney for sentencing. He is charged with fraud for his involvement as a high-ranking Vernon Savings and Loan Officer. This is a story of how a brilliant man with unusual skills in accounting unwittingly contributed to fraud and got jailed for a crime in which he should have been pleading as a victim. It will take the FBI fifteen years to come out and tell him that he shouldn’t have been sentenced in the first place. But can the damage be reversed?

Meanwhile, a spiritual journey has already started happening in the protagonist’s soul, a journey that has brought him to grips with the abyss, the part of him he’s never wanted to see and touch. Read this story to discover how to see the light in the starkest night of the soul. While Embracing the Abyss is a powerful warning to people who can easily find themselves in tight situations with the law without actually meaning to break any, it is also a gritty journey of a man to his very center, a tale of true freedom and how it’s won. The author writes with clarity, allowing readers great insights into one of the loan scandals in the US, while sharing what it means to live in a federal prison. John Smith’s story is both informative and inspiring, a warning to readers and an endearing tale of spiritual awakening, featuring an appendix of his appeal for a presidential pardon.

Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

While not everything’s perfect in Alex Roslin’s approach to presenting this eye-opening, factual look into police domestic violence, Police Wife, to give it anything less than 5 stars would be unfair. What Roslin reveals in Police Wife could save a person’s life, especially if that person is a woman engaged to, in a relationship with, or married to a policeman…and even if that person is herself a member of the force! What a bitter irony that those who are trained to protect the general public are, as you will learn in Police Wife, often the ones who do so much harm to those who love and trust them: their partners and their own children. The statistics and true stories Alex Roslin shares of domestic abuse by police in countries worldwide are shocking and always so very sad. Brace yourself for violence that isn’t the product of a fiction writer’s imagination. You will find yourself shaking your head in disbelief more than once, not just because of what happened, but because of what didn’t happen after a report of police domestic violence was filed!

For instance, consider these facts: “In Florida, those accused of domestic violence had four times more chance of keeping their jobs than cops accused of theft and 28 times more than cops who failed a marijuana test.” Or how about this one: “Citing FBI crime data, the study found that US police officers committed over two times more sexual assault per capita than the general population. The rate was 68 sexual assaults for every 100,000 cops versus 29 per 100,000 for the public.” What is going on here? If you’re thinking “cover up” or internal, rather than open and fully disclosed investigations, you’d be right. The male police brotherhood is alive and well; you don’t rat on a brother even when you know he’s guilty. It’s easy to dismiss the little woman’s complaints as being neurotic, especially when the accused cop is a decorated member of the force with an impeccable record of performance in serving and protecting the public. So where, for that matter, does a battered policeman’s wife turn for help…to the batterer’s buddies and bosses on the force? If everyday female victims of abuse are afraid to tell or have trouble being believed, as Alex Roslin shows time and again, it’s many times harder for a policeman’s wife to get help of any kind.

What’s behind the male police violence? “The epidemic of police domestic abuse appears to have three main causes: power and control, derogatory attitudes toward women and impunity—a de facto licence to abuse.” Once you read Roslin’s explanation of that last statement, like it or not, it all makes sense. But it doesn’t make any of the widespread and hidden police violence, and the secrets surrounding it right or acceptable. Nor does it even come close to fixing the horrible statistics and even deaths that have resulted from police domestic violence. As one of the additional contributors to this informative and enlightening book pointed out: “The situation will not change until an outside agency becomes accessible to the survivors of police spousal abuse. Right now, these women have no place to turn.” Such agencies cannot be formed soon enough, only too late for yet another Police Wife.

Reviewed by Natasha Jackson for Readers' Favorite

We all know that work place romances have a tendency to end badly more often than not, and when Lost on the Road to Love hit my e-reader, I knew this was going to be a story full of feels. Chelsea Morrison, of the I Want Morrison series, works on a well known travel show behind the scenes in the hectic world of production. But then he walks in. Henry Rushton, star of her teenage dreams and fantasies, walks onto set and he is larger than life, better than she ever could have anticipated. For his part, Henry is immediately interested. Maybe not romantically interested, but author Kay Harris makes it clear that he is definitely interested, much to the chagrin of the catty socialite co-starring on the show.

Somewhere between San Francisco and New Orleans, Chelsea and Henry form a friendship that’s both fun to watch and kind of frustrating because they are so clearly into one another and you just want to say, “get on with it!” But that would be rude, so I quietly read and waited for the moment I knew where Lost on the Road to Love was leading. The feels. Kay Harris does a great job of portraying the emotions, particularly jealousy. It’s palpable and at times I even felt anxious reading because of all the tension, and I mean that in the best way possible. This story was well written, engaging, and even when I was angry or frustrated with a character or a circumstance, I still wanted to read more and know more. That, to me, is a mark of a very good author.

Reviewed by Lisa McCombs for Readers' Favorite

When Neil left her for a younger woman, Samantha Decker did not know how to react. A dedicated wife, and mother of teenage Cody, that’s all she knew. All she had to know. Suddenly she is thrown into the position of counselor to her son and fallen woman to her Catholic family. Not only were the Deckers ferociously Catholic, Samantha’s mother and her grandmother were evidently extremely judgmental. Sunday dinner consisted of a barrage of her mother’s negative comments surrounding Samantha’s life, and a constant sprinkling of “holy” water from Mimsy’s sacred stash. Samantha does her best to be a strong parental influence, to the point of shaming her ex into being more a part of his son’s life. Then the web begins to tangle. A one-time babysitting gig reappears in Samantha’s life, leaving a shamed Samantha writhing in guilt. Mix that with her recent contact with her favorite author, Autumn Moone, and Sam isn’t certain which way to turn.

Fiercely honest, brave but lighted-hearted, The Sidelined Wife: More Than a Wife Series Book 1 by Jennifer Peel is one of the best romance novels I have read in a long, long time. Peel’s ability to include laughter in this dark side of marriage is highly effective. The Decker family represents every family of a divorced child. Peel’s narrative is fast-paced and believable while the dialogue, especially between Samantha and Reed, is fun and filled with the age-old yearning of two unlikely lovers. Is Samantha a cougar, or is it acceptable to fall in love with a younger man?

Reviewed by Heather Osborne for Readers' Favorite

Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman is a romantic suspense novel and a part of the Carter Island series. Callie Davis, a world-renowned stained-glass artist, is in desperate need of a break from her hectic Manhattan life. Carter Island seems like the perfect place to disappear for a few weeks. What she didn’t expect was to fall in love with not only the island, but the handsome sheriff, Nate Carter. Despite the idyllic setting, there is one thing Callie cannot escape—her abandonment as a child by her mother. As old memories begin to surface, sparked by her surroundings, new leads develop in the long dormant case, leaving Callie and Nate wondering what really did happen to her mother all those years ago?

Having read Ms. Beauman’s Bodyguards of LA County series, I was very excited to delve into a new world by an author I had previously enjoyed. This novel presented like a slow burn, with the story developing day by day as Nate gains Callie’s trust and their relationship blossoms. I loved the supporting characters and the descriptions of the island setting. It was nice to read something so thoroughly written, with all the nuances of Callie and Nate’s relationship, and the impact of Callie’s childhood, fully fleshed out. As with her previous series, Secrets Hidden Behind the Glass by Cate Beauman offers readers the chance to really get to know a set of characters and their surroundings, while still offering a suspenseful and engaging plot. I will definitely be following the Carter Island series with great interest.

Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Lily Reid, the only daughter of an eminent physician, had dropped out of medicine during her residency and had instead focused her life and career on helping medical professionals deal with the overwhelming stress, depression and incredibly high suicide rate that so often is the bane of the medical profession. In The Burnout Cure by Jill Blake, Lily believes vehemently in her advocacy and is a determined, strong and independent woman who has no desire or plans for a long-term relationship or a family. Her work and her passion to help medical professionals is her life. Wolf, a doctor, had it all - drop-dead gorgeous, he lived his life according to his own dictates. He loved women, but he didn't want a relationship. Sex was fantastic, but who wanted to over-complicate it all with feelings? Wolf was of the old school of thought. "If you can't hack the pace of medicine, then look for another job." He looked at medicine like a soldier looks at Special Forces. It takes a special breed of man or woman to be a medical professional. "Suck it up!" was his opinion. When Lily and Wolf meet, the physical attraction is undeniable, but they are so far apart in their views, can anything ever develop?

The Burnout Cure by Jill Blake has absolutely no pretensions. It is pure, light-hearted romance (chick-lit, if you like), but what I loved and what lifted it above your normal hospital, steamy romance story was the seriousness and importance of the backstory to the two characters. Clearly depression, stress and suicide is a major problem within the medical profession and Blake has cleverly used the romance between Lily and Wolf to highlight something she feels strongly about. This is still a story about two disparate people, with virtually nothing in common, who find themselves deeply physically attracted to each other, but the subtext gives it so much more depth. There is the full requisite of hot and steamy love scenes, which are totally necessary and, I might add, extremely well written by Blake so as not to be over-emphasised or incredibly crude as can often be the case. I'm probably not the target market for this kind of steamy romance, but I was certainly glued to the pages and dying to know where it led us next. This is an excellent read and well above the usual hospital romance pap that can be so repetitive and boring. An excellent read from Jill Blake.

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

The Traitor's Bride by Alix Nichols is the first book in the science fiction romance series, Keepers of Xereill. Convicted without a trial for cowardice and sedition - a heavy and improbable transgression for one who previously has had praise lavished upon him as a hero - Lord Areg Sebi is publicly whipped to the roaring delight of an overly enthusiastic crowd. But there are a handful who are disgusted by the display, and one of them is Etana Tidryn, a female with the ability to potentially save his life. Whether or not she's willing to take the risk and has the courage to elevate herself from her lowly status in a caste of latent untouchables is another matter altogether.

I'm still in this world and mulling over this tale despite having finished The Traitor's Bride some time ago. Alix Nichols is a powerhouse writer with descriptive scenes and world-building without the usual information dumps often found in the genre. It helps that the story has genuine, palpable, delicious sizzle to it, which is also exceptionally well done. As it's a part of a series I was prepared for the cliffhanger. What I wasn't prepared for was the scramble that ensued after finishing to jump into the next book immediately. Luckily, book two, The Commander's Captive, has already been released...so...as soon as my husband falls asleep... I would absolutely recommend this series to anyone looking for science fiction that delivers both the fantasia of a new world and the heat of a searing romance packed into one creative punch. This was an easy five-star rating for me as the story and writing are divine.