Reviewed by Bernadette Diane Anderson for Readers' Favorite

In this delightful Regency romance, author Laura Beers tells a story based in the 1830s when station, position, and money meant everything and love nothing to the rich members of society in England. Where you came from and how you got there normally dictated where you were going, how you would be treated, and what type of future you could look forward to. Laura Beers' story, The Earl's Daughter: A Regency Romance, tells of a girl of title abandoned at birth to be cared for by family members and later a unique finishing school. She has been taught many good lessons in life that will help her in adulthood in a hard, cruel society but which leave her lacking when it comes to family greed and vengeance.

Several characters play strong roles in this story but two of them take center stage. Lord Hudson and Lady Charlotte meet under strange circumstances and, through various trials and many self-examining battles, they fight hard to keep the other interested in them and pursue ways to make love win the day. Opponents along with enthusiasts make their journey long and arduous. Does love prevail or fail in this gentle, yet at times heartwarming Regency romance?

Laura Beers' knowledge of the time period is very evident in this detailed story of The Earl's Daughter. How people interacted with each other draws all readers into their society, time, and place. It gives a feeling of belonging in a time gone by when one's place in life was well defined. You are drawn in by the need for love to prevail and happiness finally to be achieved by two characters who deserve it. Gently written with a good romantic story and a sting in its tail, plus a thrilling last resort move make this a great read for lovers of the Regency era and newcomers to the genre alike.

Reviewed by Maureen Dangarembizi for Readers' Favorite

The Forgotten Duke: Diamonds In The Rough, Book 5 is a historical romance by Sophie Barnes. The year is 1820 in London, England. Eighteen-year-old Lady Regina Berkly knew she’d have to one day marry for advantage and possibly find love later. But her dreams are dashed when her father, the Earl of Hedgewick, arranges a sudden marriage for her with a cripple. The marriage would be advantageous but a future disaster, no matter how she looks at it. Left with no choice, she defies her parent and runs into the slums and into the arms of Carlton Guthrie, the Scoundrel of St Giles. The man has a wicked reputation, no doubt with good reason. But Regina has few options if she’s to avoid an unhappy marriage. It comes as a surprise when Guthrie offers her his assistance.

Sophie Barnes is a talented author who brings romance to brilliant life in this historical novel. There is nothing like an anti-hero who struggles with doing the right thing. Guthrie has this twenty-year-old vendetta that he’s sacrificed so much for. The last thing he wants is to fall in love with the enemy’s daughter. I had some hilarious moments as Guthrie’s crew did some unorthodox matchmaking. I really loved the secondary characters and the sub-plot that came with them. Lady Regina wasn’t a silly heroine but the kind of girl with reckless courage. She digs and digs until she finally uncovers Guthrie’s golden core. For anyone looking for an intense and absorbing romance, The Forgotten Duke is the book for you.

Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

While searching for his errant sister in America, an Irishman finds himself working for gangsters in the enthralling historical romance novel, The Gangster's Kiss (Love is a Dangerous Thing, Volume 1) by Ginger Ring. After his sister Eryn ran away to America, John O'Malley leaves Ireland to find her. When John stops to assist the County Judge, who is ill, and escorts him to the doctor, he impresses the Judge's son, the local Sheriff. Concerned for his sister Grace's safety, Sheriff Daniel offers John a job guarding her. Needing money to continue his search for Eryn, John accepts the position. Undeterred from his original objective, John watches over Grace while he continues his search for his missing sister. Can John protect Grace? Will his new responsibility to Grace ruin his chances of ever finding his sister?

Set in the late 1920s, The Gangster's Kiss (Love is a Dangerous Thing, Volume 1) by Ginger Ring is a suspenseful novel filled with romance and intrigue. I enjoyed the main protagonists' bantering and sparring as their relationship formed. Their forbidden romance added intensity and drama to the story. Grace's sympathy for John's mission was admirable, and their blossoming relationship was enchanting. The story flows smoothly, and while some aspects of the plot remain unfinished, it comes to a satisfying conclusion. Containing an entertaining plot combined with historical elements, interesting characters, and an intriguing storyline, this novel is bound to thrill fans of the Miss Fisher novels. I recommend this book to adult readers as it contains mature elements.

Reviewed by Dinah Roseberry for Readers' Favorite

Somewhere by the Sea (Finding Somewhere Series, Book I) by Verna Clay is a treasure trove of emotional triggers that take a young widowed woman to her deceased family’s dream place as a final challenge to hold onto, and let go of, her departed husband and son. Burdened by the knowledge that she was responsible for their deaths, Somewhere — a small shore town that they’d been planning to visit as a family — was her only salvation. This was her last chance to hold them in her living world and to keep from letting them go.

As I went deeper with Verna Clay into Somewhere by the Sea, I found the setting of the town was so well presented that I could feel myself being drawn into its unique charm — just as heroine Faith Bennison was: she needed to be away from memories, yet she needed to have those same memories etched in her mind. Of course, as is usually the case, all is not quaint and lovely at the Hope Bed and Breakfast, or with the friendly shopkeepers, ocean views, and handsome men (like Baxter, the B&B owner’s son, who has her heart beating much too quickly). But just as happiness can bring an unlikely couple together, so might loss provide a similar cause, as is the case for Faith and Baxter. In fact, the town has even more relationship issues than those of Faith and Baxter blowing through the gentle winds, and those need their own happy endings. But for now, would this place be the right home for Faith to put down roots? There could be problems: the people in town — as nice as they are — don’t believe she is seeing what she is seeing. Some are thinking the worst. To be honest, she, too, doubts her own eyes. There are great risks to her and her new friends, and especially the attractive Baxter, when the paranormal pays a visit to Somewhere by the Sea.

What I loved about Verna Clay’s romantic tale is being totally immersed in the setting. I could picture the town so clearly with its houses and hills, the walking trails, the haunted stone house, the museum, the diner, and all the other nooks and crannies. I could walk down Main Street and Ocean Boulevard today and interact with Gabby and Leo and Vicki and Baxter. I could be Faith. I could love Baxter. The writing is superb as Clay's paranormal lazes through the town and along the beaches, barely noticed until… well, just know that there’s a reason for everything, and learning to make better choices can make a heart flutter when in the right person’s arms. Somewhere by the Sea (Book I) by Verna Clay is a gentle romantic experience that will leave you wanting more of Somewhere. This first book in Clay’s series will beckon you forward to the next and the next. You may want to bring along your paints and easel.

Reviewed by Sarah Scheele for Readers' Favorite

Seasons of the Soul is a collection of philosophical poetry by Nidhi Kaur. It has many eloquent, often short poems that show the relationship between a woman seeking love and a beloved she longs for, and can also be used to describe a deeper search for peace and meaning in the stages of life. The book summarizes four “seasons” or life stages in the love journey and these four seasons are examined through intricate sets of poems paired with pictures, predominantly of leaves and flowers, to create a strong sensory experience. The seasons—Season of Longing; Season of Remembrance; Season of Love; and Season of Enlightenment—take the narrator and reader through a life journey of finding love.

The poetical quality of Seasons of the Soul is delicate and gentle. The broader spiritual growth that can be applied to this cascading waterfall of poems gives them a lot of depth and Nidhi Kaur’s writing merits close attention for the quiet elegance that is structured into each set of poems and images. While many poetry books use images effectively, few do so with as much skill as this one because the pictures act as little verses of their own, accompanied by individual longer poems or by tiny, brief verbal fragments strung along together to create a sophisticated experience. The comparison of the growth of love to the life cycle of a flower as it sprouts, buds, and blooms is carried through the whole book with strength and energy, and there are touches of beautiful lyricism, as in the lovely verse “I have translated all of your silence into poetry.” Seasons of the Soul is a good expression of the inner spirit of a life that is continually growing.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

‘Sometimes we get lost. And that’s okay. Life is a mystery. As we go our way.’ Clouds: On the Wind: Poems for the Soul – A Meditation by Gary W. Burns is a contemplative collection of poems that will have a calming and meditative effect on the reader. This rhythmic collection of poems is evocative and tackles diverse topics and emotions in an aesthetic way. The poet’s perceptions on life and living in a minimalist way make an impact on readers as they can feel the images growing in their minds. The visualizations of nature, love, harmony, calmness, contemplation, warmth, and other emotions stand out starkly in the poet’s delightful and tightly knitted poems.

This zen-like and tranquil collection will have a meditative effect on readers. The poet is expressive and conveys a lot in a few sentences. I liked the poems ‘Meditation I’, ‘Meditation II’ and ‘Meditation III’ – they capture the essence of meditation and the line ‘let now be your way’ sums up the concept of meditation beautifully. ‘Soul Serenade’ is exquisite and the poet serenades readers in those three lines. It is not always easy to get readers’ attention in short verses but the poems in this book manage to do that because there is so much depth and profundity in the poet’s words, even though they are succinct and crisp. It is a good collection that all poetry lovers will enjoy and the poems will help them reflect on and contemplate life and the emotions that come with it.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Twilight: Awaking the Stars: Poems of the Night's Light by Gary W. Burns is an exquisite collection of poems that will captivate readers with their beauty, timelessness, serenity, and spirituality. The poems are calming and capture the beauty of twilight, night, and nature in an appealing way that will make readers dream. The poems speak of humanness, wholeness, well being, love, charm, balance, and peace, and will take readers into a realm of magic where the calmness of the Universe bathes them in a cloak of faith, hope, contentment, and wholeness. These starlit verses are magical, whimsical, and will make all poetry lovers take a break from their mundane lives and dream, dream, and dream. As the poet says: "If you listen close you'll hear the breath of life near, the sound of love, sincere."

The poems are simple, minimalist, but with underlying meaning and insights that will help readers to reflect and dream with the poet lovingly. The poems usher readers gently into the night and help them switch off from the business of daily lives, giving them a sense of belonging and comfort as they appreciate the beauty of twilight, the night sky filled with the stars and the moon. The author's expressions reveal his love for nature and its beauty, and he chooses just enough words to express himself instead of making them cliched and repetitive. It is definitely a book for all poetry lovers and it will leave them starry-eyed just like the first poem in the collection, 'Prelude.'

Reviewed by Sarah Stuart for Readers' Favorite

Burning the Bacon by L. Austen Johnson comprises four distinct sections of poetry – Gravity, In Memoriam, Entropy, and Parthenogenesis. These titles fascinated me before I began to read. The title poem, Burning the Bacon, is a declaration of love whilst Molded, one line of many says it all. “It's there in the spot you must have reserved for me in the shadows of your mind.” Nighttime Routine describes preparing for bed, but it’s included in In Memoriam – "I care for myself because you certainly didn't care for me." Entropy and Parthenogenesis are shorter than the first two sections, and each of the four is illustrated. All the poems are written freestyle in a way that allows the reader glimpses into the writer’s mind – very brave and incredibly clever.

Of all the poems L. Austen Johnson has included in Burning the Bacon, my absolute favorite is The Passion. It is based on The Lord’s Prayer, with a personal commentary after each line. Intriguingly, it ends with Amen, omitting “for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever”. Burning the Bacon is different from any other poetry book I’ve read. No way is it a “coffee table” book. Its place is in a private bedside cabinet where it’s handy when alone. Dip into Anticipation, Perspective: eight lines below the title of a poem by Walter Whitman, or Known. Burning the Bacon by L. Austen Johnson is a five-star must-have for poetry lovers and anyone ready to dip into something different.

Reviewed by Edith Wairimu for Readers' Favorite

The Collection by Jacqueline Belle features elegant and passionate poems that explore themes about love, hope, nature, and sadness. The third poem, “I Know,” combines the soft, invigorating feelings from nature with the unspoken words and lingering questions between two people. In the poem “Reach Up,” the narrator inspires the need to reflect upon dreams and imaginations and to allow one to live and savor life’s different moments: “Let reality's sounds, smells, flavors and textures to surround you/ Engulf you.” While some poems are passionate, others are striking and realistic, exploring different aspects of love. In the poem “My Heart Lays Open,” the narrator experiences heart-rending pain from those they care about while the poem “Cherish” is about an enduring love that remains steadfast through times of happiness and darkness.

The poems drew me in by their clever use of language that engages the senses, such as in the first poem “My Morning Coffee”: “Steam curls upward/ creeping slowly/ under my chin/ I breathe in the thick/ musky smell.” Others employ metaphors to portray various circumstances. The symbolism held my attention as I worked on deriving the meaning of the poem. In “The Tree,” for instance, a boy picks the fruits of a tree without regard for the well-being of the tree. Personification utilized in the collection allowed me to connect even deeper with the themes explored in the poems such as in the poem “Sadness” that presents the feeling of sadness as a living thing that whispers and has ghostly fingers. Jacqueline Belle’s The Collection brings together poems that empower and inspire the imagination.

Reviewed by Kristen Van Kampen (Teen Reviewer) for Readers' Favorite

In The Rise of a Golden Lion by Michael Feng, Ranford Tremble is an average biologist, but after an attack by a mutant lion, he changes. This experience gives him supernatural abilities, including superspeed, superstrength, and the ability to sonic roar. Soon, he learns of an ongoing battle between the evil Jacen Lee and a group of secret agents and fellow mutants who aim to stop him, called SHRIKE. The SHRIKE team wants Ranford to join them, but he isn’t sure if he wants to join them or lead an average life. But Jacen Lee is up to something, and the SHRIKE team is desperate for Ranford’s help. Will he join them?

With thrilling action scenes and likable characters, The Rise of a Golden Lion by Michael Feng is an enjoyable read. The narrative is very descriptive and makes some interesting and humorous analogies. For example, it describes a character’s facial expression like the one you make when hit by a French baguette. The story is action-packed and filled with exciting battle scenes that keep the reader wondering what happens next. I thought the way the characters gained their abilities was very intriguing and creative. The characters themselves were likable and fascinating, and I liked how each one was unique from the others. For example, some are serious while others are more carefree, which made the story more interesting. This book is an exciting read, and I highly recommend it to people who like superheroes stories.