Rising Up is the first entry in the Tranquility Series by Tanya Ross and a gorgeous tale for fans of young adult fantasy. I was hooked from the very first line: “On a perfect day in a perfect place with practically perfect people, even dreams...

Anne by Zarina Macha is one of the best coming of age stories for young adults that I’ve read. Why? Because it addresses so many of the topics currently of major interest and importance to teens, i.e. gender issues and concerns about opening up to...

The Music Therapy Profession: Inspiring Health, Wellness, and Joy by Christine Korb covers an interesting topic. Music Therapy is a profession that is underappreciated. Your life would be incredibly sad and lonely if you didn’t like music. I love the fact that this book is...

Elizabeth: Obstinate, Headstrong Girl by Tessa Dare, Joana Starnes, Amy D'Orazio, et al. is a collection of short stories that retell, in part, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Written by ten different authors, the stories place Elizabeth Bennet and her friends and family in various...

Kill for You by Ayden K. Morgen places you right in the middle of a bloody war between two of the deadliest gangs in the Los Angeles area. Faith Donovan is dazed when the shooting starts, tearing up the bar in which she works. She...

Max, short for Maximus, also referred to as 009 Lives (amongst his Guardian of Time secret agents) because a cat does, after all, have 9 lives, is a rather large Tonkinese cat. He’s a hero, but that’s not all: he’s also a time traveler who...

Fig Newton Summer is a tale for readers of all ages about a tween’s coming of age, written by Lisa Gammon Olson and illustrated by Lauren Rutledge. Lizzie is a 12-year-old girl who travels on vacation with her parents and younger sister, Lori, to the...

Spiritual Truth in the Age of Fake News by Elizabeth Geitz is the kind of book that keeps you engaged whether read in one sitting or one chapter a day. Every lesson addresses the deepest truths that most of us have never bothered to contemplate...

Around Midnight is a work of fiction and interpersonal drama written for young adults, and was penned by author Zarina Macha. Centered around important social themes of self-esteem, first relationships and the dangerous world of emotional manipulation, this is an inspiring and often heart-wrenching tale...

The mind is the most important and, at the same time, the most dangerous organ in the body. The two novellas, Every Last Thought, and Psycho Girl, in Every Last Psycho by Zarina Macha prove just that. In Every Last Thought, sixteen-year-old Tess struggles with...

Trine Rising is the first book in the Kinderra Saga: The Chronicles of Mirana Pinal by C.K. Donnelly, a brilliant epic fantasy about young Mirana as she tries to figure out who she is. Mirana knew from an early age that she was different. She...

Emma’s New Life is a highly engaging and adorable book for children and was penned by author Paul G. Wilson. The titular character Emma is a hedgehog, and the tale is centered on the theme of animals in nature, and how they try to survive...

Ella Says: I'm Going to be an Astronaut! by Anu Misa (the second installment in the Ella Says series) is a colorful book where science meets imagination all wrapped in one adventurous tale! After learning about space in school, it’s all Ella can seem to...

Between Inca Walls: A Peace Corps Memoir by Evelyn Kohl LaTorre is an intimate story about a young woman determined to make a fulfilling life for herself. Born and raised in a small town in Montana, Evelyn's family moved to California when she was sixteen...

Red loved his family, the Allen clan. His father was Kevin and his mother, Mary, and he had a brother, Bain. Red's name was Irish and it was shortened to Red because of his red-colored coat. They lived in Michigan and the family loved summers....

Troy Forge heads for North Korea on a secret mission that tests his faith and teaches him some valuable lessons. After being stabbed and almost killed at the prison he worked at, Troy knows he must forgive his attacker even though he finds it hard...

Aidan's biggest wish is to be a knight in the White Army of Delmar. The fact that he is a poor sixteen-year-old farmer with deceased parents does not deter him from dreaming and practicing with wooden sword dummies. He realizes his dreams and becomes a...

Tavi Tails: The Diary of a Dog is a work of fiction based in the animal world, and was penned by author Lisa Richman with the aid of her furry friend Tavi. Subtitled “Life Through the Eyes of a Master Human Trainer”, this spirited, humorous...

A man must prove his innocence when his husband is brutally murdered in the breathtaking suspense novel Naive by Charles Royce. Suspected of his husband Lennox's murder, Micah is arrested. The police believe they have a strong case against him, including a weak confession from...

A village is stunned when one of its prominent citizens is murdered during an Independence Day cruise in the sensational amateur sleuth mystery, Three Woofs for the Dead White and Blue (Pawtisserie Mysteries) by Laura Quinn. When her parents retired to Florida, Claire returns to...