These are challenging monologues that could be hit or miss with the wrong actress. Obviously, that’s the case with any theatre piece, but this is especially true for one-woman monologues as linguistially compact as these. There’s so much information […]
Midnight Heat by J.L. White, the second book in the Firework Girls series, focuses on Chloe and her romance with the handsome Grayson. Basically left at the altar, Chloe has a passionate hookup with Grayson on what would be the night of her wedding. It’s all too much, given she’s on the rebound, so she flees the turmoil, regretting every moment, because her connection with Grayson is far more than sexual. So she wants him back in her life, only to find 9 months later that the love of her life is now hooked up with her best friend.
Having […]
The Dark Ones (Black Werewolves Book 1) by Gaja J. Kos is a richly detailed and exciting werewolf novel in which a pack of Black werewolves attempt to uncover who or what is murdering White werewolves. Rose, the leader of the Black werewolves, enlists the help of Veles, lord of the Underworld, and finds herself falling for him. To win the war, the Black werewolves must become The Dark Ones – the brutal, violent pack of their ancestors – or risk having all werewolves wiped out forever.
A Slovenian author writing about a Slovenian setting, the book has an authenticity […]
A Million Different Ways by P. Dangelico is a steamy, character-driven romance novel with an international flair. Albanian Immigrant, Vera Sava is desperately traveling through Europe looking for work. Though eminently qualified as a medical student, she takes a job as a housekeeper working for the gruff Sebastian Horne, heir to a banking dynasty, who regards Vera with indifference. Vera comes to learn that Sebastian’s gruff demeanor has a reason: he has secrets of his own, and someone wants him dead. A romance blooms and their collective secrets have the potential to upend both their lives, as well as Sebastian’s […]
Stumbling Toward the Buddha by Dawn Downey is a collection of interconnected essays about finding “enlightenment” in the modern world. Refreshingly honest, and filled with self-deprecating humor, Downey is not afraid to admit her faults, as well as delve into her painful past, to fully understand herself and the world around her.
Though the book is touted as more of a memoir than self-help book, it could be said to be even more effective than the usual self-help tome because of the Downey’s humor and insight. Downey is expert at pointing out human foibles, especially as it relates to spiritual […]
★★★★ 
This Madness of the Heart by Blair Yeatts is a gothic mystery introducing Miranda Lamden, a professor of religion and investigator of the paranormal. In her small college town in Eastern Kentucky, the Grace and Glory Bible College is taking over the town, led by the maniacal preacher, Jasper Jarboe. JJ is going to spiritual war with nonbelievers and a series of deaths follow in his wake, and Miranda needs to stop his influence, which could grow even more sinister.
Miranda Lamden is an exciting basis for a series, given her interests and intelligence. She’s erudite and authentic – […]
Ties that Bind by Debbie White is the moving and epic novel about a woman trying to uncover her past in order to understand herself. Pat has a sense of gnawing dissatisfaction in her life given that she’s adopted and never met her birth parents. Her children are deprived of extended family and Pat is deprived of answers. When she seeks out to find answers to all her questions, she finds a hidden contentment she didn’t know she had.
Pat is a wonderfully engaging and comforting presence in the book. Even when White is describing her hardships, Pat has a […]
★★★★½ 
The Case of the Mona Lisa by Yvonne Jones is a lively and inventive beginning to The Amulet of Amser series for children, aimed at 5 to 7-year-olds. On a visit to his grandfather’s house, Wen is told of an old family secret that he’s now ready to hear: members of his family can travel back in time.
What’s more, Wen’s family is tasked with saving priceless works of art that have been stolen throughout history. Wen’s first task is to rescue the Mona Lisa in 1911 – a theft that really happened, which added to the painting’s aura. […]