The Magazine that connects book lovers with great books.
Tree of Lives by Elizabeth Garden
Based on true events, Tree of Lives is a riveting two-track story of a horrific public murder in 1930 that became a long buried family secret. The lost ghost of the murderer, Raymond, roams the earth until his abused great niece, Ruth, a promising artist, confronts her deeply troubled family. It is a story of unfolding forgiveness, survival and triumph over unaddressed trauma as this determined woman navigates her thorny life path. Illustrated.
Alpha Tales 2044 by Wesley Britton
Alpha Tales 2044 is a collection of short stories set in a future after climate change and weaponized plagues have devastated much of our planet. It continues the adventures of characters from three earths now bound together in flight from a humanity fearful of what these other-world humans might spread among us, especially the religious beliefs of Beta and Serapin earths. The band escapes into a secret city in British Columbia and then the Canadian wilderness. These are stories of mystery, murder, espionage, harsh survival in a winter wilderness, not to mention adventures with a Sasquatch.
Behind the scenes, U.S. President-For-Life John Gardner has his own plans for capturing the aliens, especially the ones with mutant abilities. It’s a batch of stories full of the unexpected, surprises, and thrills.
Battle for Dragon Isle by Steve Stephenson
Join the exciting battle between good and evil in this third volume of the dynamic War of the Staffs trilogy. The wizard Celedant, Prince Tarquin, and friends battle their nemesis Warlock Vampire Taza who seeks to join the Staff of Adois that he holds with the Staff of Adaman in Celedant’s possession in order to rule the world.
Tarquin and a devoted group of adventurers support Celedant against Taza’s army of creatures, some called from the void. Using magic and minions, Taza heads for Dragon Isle, bent on stealing the Staff of Adaman and destroying both the dragons and wizards of light.
Celedant must destroy both Staffs while avoiding their seductive power that could overcome his spirit with evil.
Celedant, Tarquin, and friends fight their way to the Dragon’s Tear where the ultimate struggle will decide if good or evil will win.
[Read more…] about Battle for Dragon Isle by Steve Stephenson
Aiming High: How a Prominent Sports and Celebrity Agent Hit Bottom at the Top by Darren Prince
The book “Aiming High” is the astonishing and amazing story of sports and celebrity agent Darren Prince, who battled addiction while representing some of the most iconic figures in the world. After a drug overdose, many demoralizing nights, and mornings where he couldn’t get out of bed without a prescription in hand, Darren hit rock bottom – and in the process discovered the true meaning of success. Darren learned the hard lesson that no matter who you are, addiction will not discriminate on who it will drag to rock bottom next.
Review: “There are very few books that I have read that keep my eyes glued to every page. I can’t put this book down and I want to read it again. Darren has opened up his amazing life to us. Hitting bottom at the top is the complete opposite of what we normally read about rags to riches stories. His book gives us life lessons and business lessons we can use today to make our own lives better, more productive, and understand that the human connection is more important than the money we make. Darren’s book should be part of every college business course. Real-life, real situations, real people. If you desire to be sober, Darren Prince is an example that you can make it. There are a few times in this book that I had tears in my eyes while reading his story. It is not every day people like Darren open up their lives and have the audacity to share the pitfalls of addiction just to help others.”
Well Earned 5-Stars for this one I highly recommend everyone to read.
Wraith Lords of Zeiglon by Steve Stephenson
In book two of the War of the Staffs trilogy, vampire lord Taza continues to weave intense dark spells in a demonic attempt to find the missing piece of the Staff of Adaman and bring the magical world of Muiria under his evil control. Taza uses a dark warlock named Melgor to find and destroy Taza’s nemesis, the great wizard Celedant, who accompanies Prince Tarquin on a dangerous quest to find the missing staff, encountering horrific attacks by earthly and inhuman assailants.
[Read more…] about Wraith Lords of Zeiglon by Steve Stephenson
Never Is A Very Long Time by Donna McDonald
Cupid she’s not—but she’s pretty darn close.
Nothing in the world feels better than finding her clients the perfect date. Finding one for herself might be nice, but creative bill paying is not for accomplished doctors in their forties. Satisfied customers keep the electricity on.
Everything in her life was fine until she quit her celebrity radio job to start a dating business. Two years, a cheating ex, and a very ugly divorce later, she’s back to living with her mother. Not that her mom isn’t great, but come on.
With her cop ex-husband doing everything he can to ruin her business, she’s at her wit’s end. Throw in another cop who makes her want to believe in love at first sight again and life is a mess. Another sexy bad boy cop is the last thing she needs.
[Read more…] about Never Is A Very Long Time by Donna McDonald
War of the Staffs (Book one of the War of the Staffs trilogy) by Steve Stephenson
War of the staffs (book one of The War of the Staffs trilogy) takes place on a world called Muiria, where a powerful vampire wizard named Taza is brought through the void, space between the planets, by a vengeful goddess named Adois.
Taza slowly convinces the Illanni, a race of dark elves, to take on the cloak of vampirism.
Nearly two thousand years pass before the scheming wizard makes his move. But his careful planning is jeopardized when Prince Tarquin is born to fulfill a prophecy and confront the evilest creature Muiria has ever known. The Prince, however, cannot succeed alone, and when Morganna, an Illanni noble woman, threatens Taza’s plans by starting an underground movement against him, she strikes her severest blow when she saves Tarquin’s life.
He is also championed by the wizard Celedant, and the young man is sent to the dwarvan army to learn combat skills. Then the wizard begins his search for the Staff of Adaman – the only object capable of defeating Taza.
Tarquin and Celedant’s epic journey spans the continent where they face not only a vampire wizard, but orcs, demons, liches and other monstrosities. War of the Staffs begins the search for the first of two pieces of ancient staff as Taza’s assassins hunt the Prince to thwart the prophecy. Tarquin, however, is not the only target. Celedant must confront not only assassins, but powerful and dangerous creatures that Taza brings through the void to destroy the wizard as well as the growing resistance among the dwarves and Wood Elves.
By the end of the epic tail Celedant collects a piece of the Staff of Adaman, while Tarquin transforms from teenage boy to a commanding officer.
[Read more…] about War of the Staffs (Book one of the War of the Staffs trilogy) by Steve Stephenson
Body: or, How Hope Confronts Her Shadow and Calls the Flutter Girl to Flight by Sean Coons
Hope hates her body. She always has. The fact that she’s a graphic artist who manipulates images of women’s bodies for a living only makes matters worse.
Hope’s teenage niece, Lana, has a physique Photoshop can’t touch. But in her dance world, finesse in motion requires mastery of body, which, for Lana, spirals into obsession.
Looking into the mirror, Hope and Lana have in mind a continually altering ideal of beauty defined always as thinner than they are in the moment.
Hope turns to her preternaturally trim friend, Lilith, for help. Comedy ensues as Hope mimics Lilith’s alpha female style, storming through life “solving” her problems and losing weight—that is until her new inauthentic persona leads to catastrophe. At her lowest, Hope meets Joy, a quirky mentor offering ancient truths of physical health and spiritual peace that will change Hope’s and Lana’s lives forever.
Undercover Amish by Ashley Emma
She watched her house burn down with her family inside.
She killed her abusive husband in self-defense.
Detective Olivia Mast swore she’d never return to her former Amish community in Unity, Maine, where it all happened. She’d rather run through gunfire than go back there, but she has her orders.
The community refuses to seek justice after a murder, so Olivia must don her prayer kapp once more to investigate. She’s the only one in her unit able to blend in as one of the Amish and get information from them.
Because she’s going undercover, she has to deceive her community and family by letting them think she wants to rejoin the Amish and come home for good.
To top it all off, she must also covertly protect the man she dated as a teenager, Isaac Troyer, who somehow looks even better now than he did back then. But that’s beside the point. They aren’t the teenagers they used to be.
When Olivia returns to Unity, Isaac Troyer believes he’s getting a second chance at love.
Though a plain cabinet maker, he’s a target. And he has no idea Olivia is now an undercover detective carrying a 9mm under her skirts.
When Olivia realizes she needs Isaac help most of all because of his connections to the suspect, she must tell him the truth. Will Isaac be willing to break sacred Amish rules in order to help Olivia stop the murderer?
Undercover Amish was a finalist in Maine Romance Writers Strut Your Stuff Competition 2015 where it received 26 out of 27 points!
Two Steps Forward by Luana Ehrlich
When CIA operative Titus Ray has an unexpected encounter with a Jihadi terrorist while he and Nikki are on their honeymoon in Morocco, he assumes it’s a coincidence, but when they travel to Israel for the second half of their honeymoon, and Titus encounters him again, he contacts his CIA handler. Within days, Titus is on his way to Iraq to prevent the assassination of a high-profile government official. Is the assassin’s target the Iraqi Prime Minister or could the visiting U.S. President be in his crosshairs? Could it be someone else? Could it be Titus?
