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Welcome to the Madhouse, the first volume of Valerie Anne Hudson’s Maids of Maddington series, is a delightful starting point for a new historical series, giving us a maid’s-eye view of murderous plots and domestic struggles both high and low. The novel tells an upstairs, downstairs story with a twist, as it also examines Victorian society writ large, which will please fans of “Downton Abbey,” albeit with a different historical focus. Deftly examing women’s roles in Victorian-era London, the novel offers a keen level of insight into the era with short but significant chapters that never sacrifice historical detail. […]

A fantastic read for teenage self-development, How To Be An Adult For Teens: The Practical Side, the first installment of three books for teens released by Genius Rascal Press, is a comprehensive guide for any teen who is looking to improve their knowledge of vital life skills as they approach adulthood. The book covers a variety of areas, including home repairs, how to buy a car, cooking, hygiene, safety, and how to take care of your personal health – topics that may be left out of a school’s curriculum, or even within families, uniquely guiding teens on core issues […]

A thrilling, genre-busting work of fiction, Moms Who Lie treads the line between non-stop teen drama and intriguing crime thriller. Authors Brett Monk and McKenna Langford tell the tale of friends and families in a tumultuous small town where tensions rise when a child goes missing, secrets are discovered, and we’re given to wonder who, if anyone, can be trusted. This first novel in a planned five-book series is both deeper than your average teen drama, as it sensitively explores serious issues of trauma and its aftermath, and more complex than your average crime thriller, with each surprising revelation prompting […]

Jean Jegel’s delightfully engaging and immersive historical romance Catching Nettie Gordon is a charming and worldly tale set in Los Angeles just after the turn of the twentieth century. The story follows our titular working-class heroine as she navigates the current affairs of the day – women’s suffrage, prohibition, and more – and has no intention of being entangled in any sort of romance, while suitor Emmet takes it upon himself to win her over with his sincere and thoughtful efforts. The story will quickly have readers captivated and invested in the outcomes of its various threads, which are satisfyingly […]

The strength of the individual and the family is showcased in Salou by Morenike McFaal, an original and captivating work of romance. Salou is living in Paris and looking forward to her new promotion when she is the victim of a hit-and-run accident where she is hurt badly, drifting into a coma. Her family, living far away in Guinea, has no way to know what happened or where she is, launching a desperate search to find her, while Salou fights her own battle to recover, starting an unlikely relationship in the process. Set against a vividly drawn international backdrop, Salou […]

Dead Man’s Pose is the engrossing first installment of the Australia-based Yoga Mat Mysteries by the writing team of Susan Rogers and John Roosen. When a student dies in Elaina’s yoga class – which may not be the accident it initially appears to be – Elaina paints a target on her back with her questions, teaming up with the eccentric Ric, as they investigate Australia’s seamy underbelly. At once fun and tense, this uniquely set mystery is a page-turning read from the start. The tone remains lighthearted throughout, and could have used a shade more of noir-ish tint, but this […]

A riveting visionary read with a fantastical narrative, Mindbender by Avinash Naduvath takes the reader into the caverns of consciousness where you begin to question what is real and what is a dream. True to its title, the storyline tackles six points of view and weaves together a story cocktail packed with mystery and strife. Naduvath clearly has a great sense of the weird and wonderful, from the creation of dastardly Pogo to the kaleidoscopic structure of the narrative, though the writing sometimes veers into the purple to make a challenging narrative more obscure than necessary. What will keep you […]