Editorial Reviews

The second title in a children’s series about the delightful adventures of a witch, Konstantinos V.E. Adamopoulos’ Badfreaky: The Cherry Snake and the Indecisive Dragon is an entertaining story about good and evil and the dangers that can cross your path. Badfreaky, a formerly bad witch who turned good, struggles against various mystical creatures on the way to achieve her goals. Illustrator Leoni Katsarou’s dynamic illustrations enhance the tale, as well as the interactive puzzles sprinkled throughout. While Badfreaky does touch on serious subjects like mental health, the book is mostly fun and games in an oral history-inflected format, which […]

A young woman time travels from 21^st century Brooklyn to the early 1900s in Carrie Hannah’s captivating work of time travel fiction, Crossing the Dateline: A Historical Novel of Time Travel, Untold Secrets and Mystery. Justine is an overworked 28-year-old whose mom mysteriously left when she was a child. After discovering a portal to the past, Justine unearths the facts about a perplexing painting that explains an enigma about her family. A fascinating historical thriller about the collision between past and present, Hannah’s entertaining work brilliantly twists the grandfather paradox into an original and inventive love story.

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Author Dedrick Moone explores the hidden superpowers of a father – along with the inevitable fears, victories, and frightening moments – in Dear Daughter: A Love Story, his latest book celebrating unique and resilient families. Vibrantly detailing his journey as a father, and showcasing the endless love and energy he poured out to care for his beloved child, this colorful read is a testimony to growth and emotional strength. That said, the prose could be tightened and edited down in certain places – there are a handful of obvious editing errors, and some passages are overly wordy or informal. […]

Author Shermaine Perry-Knights puts her lived experience as a military kid to beautiful use in I Move A Lot and That’s Okay. Utilizing affirming and confident language about the positive elements of a transient lifestyle, the book will help particular young readers adjust to the implicit challenges of relocation. Addressing everything from cultural shifts and unwarranted fears to challenging goodbyes and the potential pleasures of change, this charming story subtly touches on a myriad of psychological and emotional obstacles for military kids. The digital illustrations are colorful and engaging, and the small formatting splashes of color keep the prose […]

A drunken wedding results in a knotty relationship in Erin Lynne’s witty and sexy romance novel About That Rule – the second title in her About That series. Best friends Samantha and Nate elope during a night of debauchery in Las Vagas and need to wait ninety days before they can legally end the marriage, setting off three months loaded with sexual tension, tantalizing secrets, and inevitable sparks. The outcome to Lynne’s set-up is no doubt predictable, but About That Rule is a funny, sensual, and smartly written friends-to-lovers tale that stands apart in the genre.

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Author Laura Strobel peels open her heart and reveals a path to healing in her memoir, Accountability: Facing the truth to discover self-empowerment, a searing look at domestic violence, the deeply flawed justice system in America, and the long-term impacts of trauma in its many forms. Straying from the traditional framework of healing grief in five stages, Strobel addresses the complex issues of incarceration, both during and after, as well as the inalterable changes it can cause in one’s self-identity and relationships. Penned with raw emotional honesty, this is both a memoir and a guide for mindfulness, and would […]

Author Marie-Claire Ross delivers a master class in leadership, trust-building, and communication with her latest book Trusted to Thrive: How leaders create connected and accountable teams. The three overarching steps/sections may seem intuitive, but Ross’ focus on creating a safe environment where experimentation, trust, and connection are encouraged, rather than conformity and competition, stands out as a unique focal point of her approach. Peppered with accessible and creative analogies, as well as practical steps that leaders and team members can employ for greater success, this book is easy to read, but simultaneously dives deep on critical points. Cleanly edited […]

A magical realist story collection that covers a great number of subjects from war to love, Valeri Stanoevich’s Fancy Shop is an impressive exercise in surrealist storytelling, illustrating how the short form can pack a heavy punch. The book smartly addresses heady existential quandaries about truth and the meaning of life, while being surprisingly page-turning for a work of multilayered short fiction. The collection would appeal to an audience who’s looking for complex art that asks hard questions, as Stanoevich writes with both eloquence and nuance.

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