Posts in category: Blog

Overview:
Weaving together romance with political intrigue, this enlightening mystery immerses the reader in an entertaining lover’s quest.

Synopsis:
A decade after the Spanish Civil War, a visitor is captivated by the country’s romantic allure. Richard falls for a Basque intern, who challenges his naïve perspective of Spain’s veiled turmoil. When Terese disappears, he desperately attempts to find her.
Years later, a discovery compels him to return. Forcing him to question their past relationship, Richard’s journey takes him beyond the grip of Franco’s conflicted legacy to discover the truth behind his lover’s disappearance.

Background:
Activists flocked to Spain to support democracy in 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War: the confrontation between fascism (Franco’s Nationalists) and democracy. The best analogy today is Ukraine after Putin’s invasion.

Return to Pamplona opens in 1949, during Franco’s subsequent dictatorship. The novel’s heartfelt story follows a lover’s quest as Franco’s conflicted legacy extends into the 21st century, revealing his regime disposed of thousands of dissenters. These ‘disappeared’ are still being discovered by loved ones. Is there any hope for reconciliation in Spain?

See Our Review

SLEEPING DOGS DON’T LIE . . . Not forever. Eventually they wake, they bark, they bite. In this collection of William LeRoy short stories.P.I. Maximo Morgan a/k/a The fat man is confronted by three aroused “canines” from bygone days, each carrying a dug-up bone still to be picked.

See Our Review

This novel is a poignant exploration of love, identity, and the courage to reclaim one’s body and soul. It’s a story of two people who, despite their scars, find a way to merge and un-merge, discovering a new form of identity and a redefined sense of ‘we’ in a world that has often been unkind.

Two individuals find themselves drawn together by their shared experiences of pain and rejection. She, with her scoliosis, and he, with his facial disfigurement, have endured not only the physical challenges of their conditions but also the cruelty of a society that judges them harshly.
Their journey begins in a room, where their bodies, marked by scars and imperfections, lie entwined. Each touch reveals a new layer of their struggles, as they navigate the emotional and physical landscapes of their lives. Despite the odds, they are determined to forge a relationship built on understanding and acceptance.

As they undergo a series of grueling medical procedures, they uncover a devastating truth: the very professionals meant to heal them have instead exacerbated their problems. This revelation propels them into a profound exploration of their identities, challenging the societal labels that have confined them.

They embark on a transformative journey, learning to touch and be touched without fear, gradually moving from tentative caresses to a deep connection. Their intimacy becomes a sanctuary, a place where they can reconstruct their bodies and redefine their relationship.
In the outside world, they continue to face rejection and scrutiny, but within their shared space, they find a new sense of self. Their bond transcends physical appearance, creating a ‘third body’—a symbol of their unity and defiance against societal norms.

See Our Review

After a heart-wrenching argument with Sully leaves their relationship on the rocks, Kit makes a series of impulsive decisions, landing herself in more trouble than she ever imagined. Overwhelmed and desperate for a fresh start, she escapes to New York, determined to leave her Los Angeles life behind. 

But running away isn’t easy. Surrounded by painful reminders of her past, Kit is forced to confront her feelings for Sully and her lingering heartache. When he unexpectedly shows up in New York, everything changes.

As Sully headlines sold-out arenas, Kit is pulled into a whirlwind of changes at Diamond Records, including a handsome new boss. But things get even more complicated when Dom, Sully’s nemesis, enters the picture. The undeniable chemistry between Kit and Dom ignites a fire that challenges everything she thought she knew. With her heart caught in a heated love triangle, Kit is torn between the passion she still feels for Sully and the dangerous allure of Dom.

With temptation and jealousy on the rise, Kit must decide who is truly worthy of her heart. With multi-platinum success on the horizon, Kit and Sully’s connection will be tested like never before. Will their love survive the ultimate betrayal, or will it crumble under the weight of stardom and desire?

Platinum Promises–Where love defies the odds, but temptation has its own price.

See Our Review

In the final segment of the trilogy, the author reveals the rest of his story—before, between, and after the events of his previous books. This far-ranging, entertaining account begins with a Minnesota childhood, amid a not- so -ordinary family with its fun, its struggles, and its surprises. Picking up the tale after RW’s first military tour of duty, he returns home to find new conflicts as he rejoins his family and begins a family of his own. And finally, the journey continues through the adventures, joys, and sorrows that inevitably find our hero as he walks the path of a retired naval commander. With love lost, love found, and the blessings of family, discover the power of a cup half full on an extraordinary life—and the conclusion of a saga that began Because Mom Asked.

See Our Review

Children are not brought up in society to focus on politics. They are often encouraged to enjoy their life and their childhood. It is often said that kids should just be kids. But when there is a political strife happening all over the world, the politicians, who are just background noise for most children, become their Judge, Jury and Executioner.

Brian Brample and his friends were finishing off their high school careers caring more about their weekend paintball games than the world that surrounded them. But with a few political moves government brings back the draft in attempt to arm the nation for an unpopular overseas war. Brian and a few of his friends become the unlucky few who are conscripted to serve in a war that has a near 100% mortality rate.

In protest of strangers in Washington deciding their life was the appropriate sacrifice for the country, they decide to stage a protest of the war and draft by engaging in a mass suicide. The message is clear that the youth of the nation are willing to die for their causes, not Washington’s. But, when Brian Brample is the sole survivor of the event, the government may have just found their scapegoat to erase his friend’s message.

See Our Review

From Pura Belpré Award-winning author-illustrator Juana Medina, I AM! helps inspire young readers to have confidence in themselves. This paper-over-board picture book, the second in the I WILL! series, grabs the eye with bold, colorful illustrations and simple text.

I am strong.

I am confident.

I am funny.

The words and pictures in this book are here to remind the reader how wonderful they are! Focusing on helping to build emotional literacy, self-esteem, and self-worth as well as improving communication skills, I AM! is the perfect read aloud for kids and adults of any age.

See Our Review

Little Bear can’t wait to try out some new experiences, and he certainly can’t wait to listen to Mommy Bear’s advice. But when he realizes that he’s taken on more than he can handle, Mommy Bear is ready to come to the rescue. Join them in I Love You, Mommy, a beautiful tale of encouragement and parental love by Jillian Harker with sweet illustrations by Kristina Stephenson.

• I Love You, Mommy celebrates the bond between children and their mother with this wonderful story and beautifully illustrated book
• Hardcover picture book perfect for special reading time together. This charming story is perfect for your storytime rotation!

See Our Review

Someone is on a shooting spree in the quiet, little town of Split Tree, Arkansas, and it falls upon police chief Big Ray Elmore to find the killer before he can strike again. Only too late does Elmore discover that the real target just might be himself.

Set in the rural south of 1964, The Evil to Come is the fourth installment in the Big Ray Elmore series

See Our Review

On the Run is the story of an innocent farmer and his family caught in the middle of political and civil unrest and separated during the Troubles, the brutal conflict between the Irish Republican Army and the British government. Each separated family member has a different, riveting story, revealed powerfully in their separate struggles to unite and return to a peaceful country life in their village.

Terence Conolly, the husband, is jailed in Maze Prison’s H- Block as a terrorist. After months of beatings and torture, he joins the hunger strikers, but he abandons the strike to join the famous H-Block prison break.

Bridget, Terence’s wife, sends her teenage son to New York City to stay with her sister and brother-in-law to protect him from IRA men trying to recruit him. After a period of depression and despair, she joins a radical Women’s Movement Against the H-Block Abuses, only to be threatened by Loyalist paramilitary.

Tim, the son, is beaten and bullied in his new school, but he finds refuge and confidence as an elite runner, especially with the support of his coach and an unusual girlfriend.

Terence, Bridget, and Tim struggle in their separate ways to conquer their doubts and fears. The crucible of pain eventually gives them each the courage to confront their enemies and chart their way back to one another.

The novel’s ending, set during a national track championship, features a series of shocking events that resolve the separate plot lines.

See Our Review