Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Love in the Cupboard by Mari Jane Law follows the strangely endearing story of Faith as she struggles with love. Faith finds the man of her dreams in a dark cupboard, but she has no idea who he is. Faith hopes to find him again but instead, she meets Tom, a man she can hardly stand. However, it seems like Faith is the only one who despises Tom because everyone else in her life loves him. Little does she know; Tom is the man she met in that dark cupboard and fell in love with. But she doesn’t know it, and she certainly doesn’t know that he is also a Catholic priest. What will Faith do when she does find out? Will she give love and Tom a chance?

I loved every second of Love in the Cupboard! I finished the story and wanted to immediately start reading it again. Faith is hilarious, and the way things turn out for her is perfect. Mari Jane Law is correct in calling it a quirky romance because it is exactly that. Tom and Faith are two very different people with different values. Tom wants a wife, and Faith wants a partner who will love her and not lie to her. They complement each other, and there are sparks that neither of them can deny. Even when Faith hates Tom, she feels a connection with him. I loved the other characters as well. Hope is hilarious, while Gavin and Luke are the voices of reason but sassy. In short, it was perfection. I highly recommend this to all romance fans.

Reviewed by Alma Boucher for Readers' Favorite

The Chancer is a comedy by Fiona Graham. Donnie, who was raised on a farm near a tiny Irish village, had dreamed of becoming a Hollywood star. Donnie’s younger sister was the only member of the family who thought that he could succeed as an actor. When Donnie’s uncle died, he inherited a sum of money, and he flew to LA to make his dream come true. Donnie fell in love with LA and the people and dived headfirst into any auditions that he could find. Donnie was determined to make it and become a famous actor. Donnie met Abe Nelson, a movie star, and Donnie’s spontaneity gradually won him over. Donnie and Abe seem to complement each other as they strive to become better versions of themselves.

The Chancer by Fiona Graham is an exciting read full of Irish expressions and idioms. The plot was intriguing, and I was hooked from the start. Family relationships, friendships, dreams, and loyalty were woven into the story, which alternated between Hollywood and a small Irish village. The chapters flowed into each other and were easy to read. The characters were well-developed and authentic. My favorite character is Donnie. He loved his family and had a big heart. He felt terrible about lying to them. Donnie believed in himself and was brave enough to follow his heart. The story is excellently written and is both funny and touching. The message is about the importance of pursuing your dream and this is a must-read for anyone looking for an amusing tale.

Reviewed by Shrabastee Chakraborty for Readers' Favorite

Eleven-year-old Michelle Naget led a contented life with her family, basking in her profound faith in God. However, everything changed one fateful morning in June 1940, when the mass exodus of French refugees began. Soon afterward, the Nazis invaded the village of Braquis, setting up their headquarters in the Naget family home. With her eldest brother held captive by the Germans and another brother mortally wounded while aiding the French Resistance, Michelle and her parents tried their utmost to placate the Nazi soldiers occupying their home. Michelle became the Post, Telephone, and Telegraph officer, transporting letters, food, and medicine for the entire village. Yet, cycling through German camps each day was not safe for a girl on the cusp of adulthood. Would her faith carry her through the brutality of war? The Letter Carrier, a historical novel by L. C. Lewis, recounts Michelle’s story.

The Letter Carrier was a gut-wrenching read in which L. C. Lewis showed war’s ugly face unflinchingly. She also highlighted that the mindless violence and massive death toll were not the only consequences of war. There could be no way to repair the emotional scars it left, nor could anyone bring back the lost innocence of a childhood fraught with endless worry. I often found myself shaking, unable to hold back my tears. If reading the book could elicit such visceral reactions, I shuddered to think about what Michelle and her family endured. Lewis's writing made me feel constant fear and apprehension, where any little misstep could be disastrous. The entire book resembled a giant bated breath or a skipped heartbeat until the last quarter when I dared to hope, although it was fragile. While reading, I became a part of the Naget family, sharing every heartbreak and reveling in their family reunions. Michelle, our little letter carrier, commanded my respect as she braved her daily tasks even when the world around her crumbled. Her unwavering faith in God kept her strong in those trying times. I recommend this story to readers who appreciate books based on true WWII stories. Lewis deserves my sincere thanks for recording Michelle’s account because, as she rightly mentioned in the epilogue, this story needed to be shared.

Reviewed by Nino Lobiladze for Readers' Favorite

Four solitary people sit in a restaurant in Annapolis. It's Midnight Madness, and soon they will head toward the stores. They all have stories and these stories are sad. Eva Levoni's boyfriend, Kyle, left her for another woman. Reid Jones is devastated because his parents are selling his childhood home, and he can't afford to buy it. Lily Webster is confused with the abrupt turn her life has taken recently. Dimitri Vassos struggles with gambling addiction. His overly spoiled wife left him, pursuing a man with more money than Dimitri ever had. These four people don't know yet that around the corner, in a lovely bookstore named Brodie's Books, Meg Ellis, its owner, patiently waits for those who are brokenhearted and unhappy to support them with letters she secretly puts in the books. These letters will change the lives of Eva, Lily, Dimitri, and Reid for good. The Letters in the Books by Stephanie L. Verni is an uplifting story of love, friendship, forgiveness, and dreams coming true.

In The Letters in the Books, Stephanie L. Verni crafts a captivating plot and divides it into sub-plots to show the unfolding events from different perspectives. Characters play the biggest part, and Eva is my favorite. She is loving, strong, and highly professional but never controlling. And, of course, the centerpiece of the novel is Meg. Depicting this amazing character, Stephanie tells us that empathy and compassion require a high price, which an empath pays, but it is worth it. Stephanie touches on the topics of love and betrayal, leaving no doubt that love always wins. I appreciate a well-researched background, as Stephanie gives us a clear picture of how to run a small business. We see it through the loving eyes of Meg and follow the development of stores and boutiques from the professional perspective of Lily, a small business owner, and Eva, an experienced and dedicated PR manager. Stephanie's love for Annapolis shines through almost every page. The author speaks about mundane events almost poetically and surprises us with a dramatic accord at the end of this wonderful book. I highly recommend The Letters in the Books to fans of character-driven stories, inspirational novels, romance, family drama, and fiction with leading female characters.

Reviewed by Alex Ndirangu for Readers' Favorite

We have a tendency to flee our unpleasant past in pursuit of a better present and future. But what if your dreadful past caught up with you and the only option was to confront it head-on? Shadow of the Gypsy by Shelly Frome leads us through a unique mash-up mystery narrative about a man's journey as he tries to make sense of his haunting past and live in the present. Josh, then a young man, sees Zharko, an Eastern European mafia figure, kill a man. In order to keep Zharko from finding him, his mother enrolls him in a boarding school and gives him a new name. He spends most of his youth there. Josh later moves to a small town where only his mother and his childhood sweetheart are aware of his presence. Josh's hopes for a normal, peaceful life are dashed when he discovers that Zharko, the gypsy, has been recently stalking him. Zharko wants to involve Josh in a sinister plot that will put both his life and the lives of those closest to him in danger.

The classic plot of Shadow of the Gypsy explores the depths of human psychology to show the lengths to which individuals will go to maintain their sense of well-being. I was interested in seeing how Josh would avoid the strong forces that posed a threat to his world. I found the plot to be character-driven because the characters engineered the plot development. None of the characters made dull or insignificant plot contributions; instead, they all engaged in the narrative, giving it a lively feel. I believe that a work of art should strive to evoke mental images in the reader's mind. Shelly Frome accomplished this admirably by extensively using figurative language, which transformed ordinary descriptions into evocative events and increased the emotional significance of the narrative. The language used was simple to understand and appealing to me. This stems from the author's love of language and their love affair with words. The dialogue between and among the various characters breathed life into the story and placed the events in their immediate context. Shelly used these dialogues to highlight events without deviating from the plot. Based on how suspensefully the first installment ended, I'm hoping for a sequel as intriguing as this one.

Reviewed by Steven Robson for Readers' Favorite

The Twelve Sisters by Don Gordon Pierson and David Thompson Dorris is a sweeping epic packed with intrigue, love, personal justice, obscene wealth, greed, crime syndicates, and family bonds spanning centuries. Tailored superbly into three distinct periods, each part deals with an interesting story revolving around 12 paintings. The first is set in the 1400s when an unknown artist created works of art; the second is set in 1975 where events lead to an ongoing plot involving revenge; and the third is set in 2018 where the plot is played out. The background for this amazing tale is Italy and the primary players are Madeleine Costanzo and Bruno Porcelli. Both are extremely intelligent individuals coming from vastly different worlds, who meet by chance at a Monaco Grand Prix. This meeting sets in motion an incredible series of events that will keep the reader spellbound until the high-stakes climax of this amazing adventure.

In The Twelve Sisters, Don Gordon Pierson and David Thompson Dorris have managed to create one of the best dramatic adventures I have read in a long time. Not only is the story compelling and engrossing, but the background created around the Italian way of life and the art world is equally fascinating, clearly indicating a thorough knowledge of these areas. The characters were superb and crafted intelligently to reflect their backgrounds, while the evolving character of Bruno throughout the story was particularly well handled. I also found the writing style to be engaging and one particular event was handled amazingly well. The hit, told from multiple perspectives, was enthralling and helped make this a chilling experience. The book is a quality read at the highest level that I would readily recommend.

Reviewed by Miche Arendse for Readers' Favorite

On a remote island off the coast of Maine, we see the lives of various people unfold in The New Shore by Caren J. Werlinger. Life on Little Sister Island seems ideal, only nothing in life is perfect. Meredith and her family moved to Little Sister because she was to assume the role of the island's first teacher. This seemed to be the catalyst for change, setting in motion a chain of events that would affect the lives of many of the island's inhabitants. Rebecca, the island's keeper, finds herself falling into a new and sweet love relationship while Kathleen must face the bane of her existence when her mother falls ill and has to live with her.

The New Shore by Caren J. Werlinger was a new reading experience for me. Although this book is the third in a series I had no trouble reading it as a stand-alone and I found it to be extremely well-written. Werlinger is an amazing writer, especially when it comes to character-building. Each one in this book was so authentic that it felt as if you were reading about the lives of real people who you could go out and meet. The story touched on issues that many people face in life which made it that much more realistic and immersive. I don’t think there was a single thing I didn’t enjoy about this book and it has made me want to read the series from start to finish.

Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite

Jensy Willett, the protagonist of The Touch of Her Voice by Sara Scott, is haunted by a memory from her past. Her seemingly unrequited love for her high school basketball coach had already ruined two relationships because she simply could not keep her mouth shut. Her ex-partners always felt as if there was a third person in the relationship. Everything seems to change when Sophie appears in Jensy's life. A chance encounter in a café turns the world of both women upside down. After initial hesitation, Jensy opens herself up to another relationship and promises to keep her first crush out of it. She would not ruin this special relationship, and apart from one or the other hiccup, everything seems to go very well for Jensy and Sophie. They both work toward their dreams, turning dreams into goals, and goals into their reality. One day their whole world breaks apart because of one mistake that is followed by another mistake. Will this be the end of yet another relationship in Jensy's life?

I generally do not read books that, on the surface, seem like just another love story with the usual issues mixed in, but there was something that made me pick this up. Maybe it was the bridge on the cover, maybe it was the connection I felt to the secret from the past that still messes up someone's present. No matter what it was, I didn't regret spending a couple of evenings and morning hours with The Touch of Her Voice. It's more than just a love story even though the love story between Jensy and Sophie takes the center stage. The relationship and its development were realistic, but I was a bit surprised that these characters experienced virtually no homophobia apart from certain family members in Sophie's family. I would have expected more issues to turn up in their environment because the world isn't that open-minded yet, even if it claims to be. Apart from that, it was a wonderful read with a great variety of minor characters, locations, and little adventures that all keep the main plot moving. Sara Scott did a good job of making all the characters come to life in front of the reader's mental eye, and while I have no clue what else could happen in Jensy's life after all that drama, I'd read more about her.

Reviewed by Bernadette Longu for Readers' Favorite

The Batter’s Box by Casey Morales is a delightful and heart-warming read. The author has written a romance that warms the reader right down to their toes. You are drawn into the story from the very beginning with two main characters who are so real that you feel you actually know them. From the first chapter to the last chapter, you will find yourself sometimes laughing with delight, other times crying with the characters, and at other times being angry for the characters who get dealt a raw deal just because they are two men who love each other like anyone else. Each main character has their own strengths; one plays baseball because he loves the game and the other is into martial arts and is extremely good at it. The mold of how gay men should be has been broken with this beautiful story.

Casey Morales uses his characters, especially his main characters, expertly and weaves the story around them with many minor characters, bringing them and the story to life. The author turns the tables on those that refuse to accept people who are different in the way they think, act, and are, by letting them succeed and come out on top. I found that I could relate to the characters in this book as I have always been pushed to one side due to the fact that I think differently from the average person. I really enjoyed this book and had many a good laugh and many a good cry. I feel that everyone should read The Batter’s Box as it is so well written that any reader can relate to the characters and their situations. Thank you for a beautiful book, Casey!

Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

The Maenad's God by Karen Michalson is an occult mystery novel that revolves around a disillusioned FBI agent named Pete Morrow set in the 1990s. Pete is caustic in his view of the world and, despite his best attempts to do as little as possible, things have a tendency to lead him where he needs to be. Getting a job at the FBI was unexpected, he is volatile toward others and has a general disdain for everyone. When Pete is transferred from one investigative unit to a military base to investigate a drug-dealing operation, the job he applied for as a joke gets very, very real. Between Mafioso, a soldier gone missing, a band that seems to have its drumsticks in everything, a second murder, a false identity, and a horrible find in the desert that makes whatever Jimmy Hoffa went through look amateurish, Pete must navigate a path littered with all things metaphysical and corrupt against the tide of public and media perception.

If there is one slice of discourse by a character that Pete would actually agree with in The Maenad's God by Karen Michalson, it's when a dubious preacher utters, “We are dirt. We are nothing. We are putrid flesh, Lord. We are worms and less than worms.” Pete's snark-o-meter is off the charts and this is what makes him brilliant as a character. Michalson as a writer has a style reminiscent of Nell Zink's Nicotine, and Pete's blurry escapism into literature is on a par with that of Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey. I loved the mystical elements of Pete's journey and I especially liked when he begins to emulate what it is he might be up against in his own way. The story has intrigue and even though Pete's soliloquies sometimes wander off into the weeds, Michalson keeps the suspense moving with characters who are so lifelike that they feel real and landscape descriptions that border on cinematic. And who doesn't love it when a band is in the mix? This is a fantastic story with a lot to offer and I can see its potential for incredible spin-offs.