"Home Fires" is an intelligently written, fast-paced family drama that unfolds into a suspenseful page-turner. Although this novel masterfully renders the emotional hardships and tragedies that are sometimes part of dysfunctional relationships, it is not a depressing read.
Shakespearean charades and surprises ensue when one of the Chicago’s most prominent and most eligible young heiresses, Alexandra Schaffer, beguiles an up-and-coming young architect, Logan McConnell. Foshee adds elements of mystery and suspense, with a dash of ominous threats to this cozy romantic story that takes place in the shadows of Chicago World's Fair during the Gilded Age. An engaging historical novel that was well-researched and a pleasure for this reviewer to have read.
Slater juxtaposes the tragic with the darkly comic. He grabs our heartstrings even as he keeps us snorting with laughter at the probability that, yes, this is just what a group of random teens would do if suddenly thrust into this Apocalyptic world. He draws us into a familiar-yet-drastically-changed world and makes us care about his cranky, vulnerable, sometime-exasperating, always-engaging characters.
E.E. Holmes’ YA paranormal thriller starts out strong and just keeps getting stronger, revealing a storyline that’s believable in large part to its well-drawn characters, its accurate depiction of college life, and the familial compassion that surfaces along with the long-held secrets.
As chapter one begins, Rasmussen takes us back to June 1865 when the Gold Rush was in full swing, as Captain Phillip La Mar, in the wheelhouse of his stern-wheel riverboat, Jupiter, enters the day's events in the logbook. His major concern is that three crewmen have cholera—the deadly scourge of the riverboats that ply the Missouri River, carrying freight and passengers destined for Fort Benton (Montana) and the goldfields beyond.
What would it be like to discover two connected galaxies that The Big Bang theory says are impossible? Not many people have even imagined facing this question, but in "The Falling Sky" Pippa Goldschmidt takes readers into the mind of an astronomer whose research presents these findings. This conundrum creates a human drama as fraught with turmoil and heartache as any found in the best novels of any genre.
Elegant prose and impressive accumulation of knowledge focused on one thread of history that guides the readers through this fast-paced read of imperial Roman history: its cultural fascination with death; the depth and breadth of its bureaucracy; the military machine with its soldier emperors; and the use of force and intimidation to hold the empire together that fueled Rome’s insatiable need for taxation to maintain its bureaucracy and power base.
The novel cleverly documents the contradictory and conservative morals of the 1950s. Readers will experience a world where female college students have curfews and male students don’t, unmarried individuals are expected to know nothing about sex, and religious tension is often swept under the rug. This novel intelligently and authentically explores the true nature of humans against the standard of this era’s “traditional family values” that come on the heels of the two great wars.
The twists and turns of Fathers House will satisfy readers who find non-obvious connections connecting devilishly amusing. Juxtaposition of the bribery, murders, and power plays against Baldwin’s subliminal questioning of free will and what really drives all of our lives is not highlighted in an initial reading, but in the undercurrent subtext. This is yet another example of how Baldwin’s story engages the reader in unexpected ways. Often times the grotesque scenes of the novel are juxtaposed with people simply living life, dealing with paperwork, or stuck on a stagnate case they don’t understand.
Adults, new and otherwise, will be entertained with Ruby’s experiences as she negotiates the intertwined worlds of mortals and immortals. Miley takes you from Portland, Oregon in a war-torn future to opulent Mount Olympus to the darkest halls of Hades as she keeps you turning the pages in this entertaining novel that successfully intertwines ancient Greek mythology with a contemporary story line that has just the right amount of romance, action, and adventure.