Books

Hot Flashes & Cold Lemonadeby Susan Flett Swiderski

Living the perfect life has always been easy peasy for Pearl Bryzinski, because she’s practically a pro at ignoring the negative and putting a positive spin on the facts, but it’s impossible for her to find anything positive about Daddy skipping town with that blue-haired floozy in a flashy brown Pinto. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t ignore the fact that he’s gone… or the fact that she’s becoming a drama queen who can sweat like a sumo wrestler doing push-ups in a sauna. It’s almost enough to suck the blush out of her rose-colored glasses. Whether she likes it or not, she’s gonna have to turn some of her wishbone into backbone.

Layer by layer, assumptions and misconceptions peel away, as Pearl learns to buck up in the face of reality, and to laugh at her imperfect… but not so bad… life. Supported by a down-to-earth husband who loves her with every blue-collar bone in his body, a mother who isn’t the self-centered witch Pearl imagined her to be, three terrific grown kids… okay, make that two terrific kids, and a Golden Boy who’s a far cry from 24-carat… and a bunch of wonderful wacky gal pals, Pearl comes to realize that her mixed bag of family and friends makes her life damned near perfect. Pearl being Pearl, she’ll never give up her rosy specs entirely, but learning to handle reality also means learning to deal with death.

Still Life in Shadowsby Alice J. Wisler

It’s been fifteen years since Gideon Miller ran away from his Amish community in Carlisle, Pennsylvania as a boy of fifteen. Gideon arrives in the Smoky Mountains town of Twin Branches and settles in at the local auto mechanic’s garage. He meets a host of interesting characters –the most recent acquaintances are Kiki, an autistic teen, and her sister Mari. Known as the “Getaway Savior” he helps other Amish boys and girls relocate to life in modern America.

One day the phone rings. On the other end is his brother Moriah calling from Florida. Of course Gideon welcomes his brother to stay with him and offers him a job. But Moriah is caught in a web which ends in his death and forces Gideon to return to the town of his youth, with his brother’s body in the back of a hearse and Mari and Kiki at his side. He must face not only the community he ran away from years ago but also his own web of bitterness. Will he be able to give his anger over to God and forgive his father?

Lockoutby John J. Nance

“A wild ride through the night sky …”–Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger, author of #1 New York Times bestseller (and film) “SULLY”

Over the Atlantic in the dark of night, the electronic brain of Pangia Airlines Flight 10 quietly and without warning disconnects all the cockpit controls and reverses course on its own.
The crew of the huge Airbus 330 at first sense nothing, the flight displays still showing them on course to New York. But with puzzled passengers reporting stars on the wrong side and growing alarm over the sudden failure of all their radios – and when armed fighters pull alongside to force them to land – the confused pilots discover that Flight 10 is streaking back toward the hyper-volatile Middle East and there is nothing they can do about it.
With an alphabet soup of federal agencies struggling for answers and messages flying between Washington, and Tel Aviv where the flight began, the growing supposition that Flight 10 may be hijacked is fueled by the presence of a feared and hated former head of state sitting in first class, a man with an extreme Mid East agenda who may somehow be responsible for the Airbus A-330’s loss of control. As frantic speculation spreads, the possibility that the unresponsive airliner could be the leading edge of a sophisticated attack on Iran designed to provoke a nuclear response drives increasingly desperate decisions.
As time and fuel runs low, flying at full throttle toward a hostile border ahead, Captain Jerry Tollefson and First Officer Dan Horneman have to put their personal animosities aside and risk everything to wrest control from the electronic ghost holding them – and perhaps the world – on a course to certain disaster.
And in the “Hole” – as the war room in Tel Aviv is called – the interim Prime Minister of Israel grapples with a horrifying choice in the balance between 300 airborne lives and the probability of nuclear war.

Praise for Nance’s Previous Books

“A uniquely suspenseful and terrifying story.”–Booklist (Pandora’s Clock)

A combination of ‘The Hot Zone’ and ‘Speed.'”–USA Today (Pandora’s Clock)

“Nance delivers in a subgenre he has established almost singlehandedly, the aviation thriller.”–Publisher’s Weekly (Skyhook)

“Mistrust, deceit, and spine-chilling action flow from every page of this story.”–Library Journal (Medusa’s Child)

DarkWolfeby Kathryn Le Veque

Following a terrible tragedy that robbed him of his wife, the dark and fiery second son of the Wolfe of the Border finds solace in battle….

Quick to temper, and an aggressive fighter, Troy de Wolfe is at the helm of his father’s army when it subdues a smaller castle south of Kelso. Assuming command, Troy is in the heart of Scots territory and the Scots aren’t happy about it one bit. Trying to gain peace with a powerful clan, Troy is offered a choice – either fight the clan’s most fearsome warrior or marry the daughter of the clan chief. Having no desire to wed again, Troy chooses to fight the warrior.

Imagine his surprise when the clan chief’s daughter and the fearsome warrior are one in the same.

So begins a very volatile – and very funny – relationship between Troy de Wolfe and Rhoswyn Johnstone, made even more humorous when Troy is defeated by the woman because he is afraid of hurting her. Since she is the victor, she names the terms of his surrender which, of course, are that he marry her. Humiliated, Troy weds the Scots maiden right there in the shadow of his defeat.

But the contentious relationship soon becomes one of genuine affection and eventually love, and Rhoswyn must call upon her warrior skills to save her husband against those clansmen who would see him harmed. Follow Troy and Rhoswyn to the end of their happiness rainbow among the gentle hills of the Scottish marches.

A Secret Engagementby Sarah Richmond

Edmund Caruthers, London barrister and gentleman, defies his father and his class to represent the poor. With few paying customers, he struggles financially. He’s frustrated his betrothed won’t set a date to marry him.

Dolly Wycliffe dreams of becoming a famous milliner. She loves Edmund, but the life of a society matron isn’t for her. Edmund’s family and friends remind her that a girl who makes hats can’t become the wife of a distinguished barrister.

When a woman is found murdered in fashionable Mayfair, their two worlds collide. The victim is a shop girl and Dolly enlists Edmund’s help to find the killer. Edmund keeps a friend’s involvement a secret and Dolly realizes the toffs have rules they’re unwilling to break.

Is their love enough to overcome the obstacles ahead? Will marrying be a decision they’ll both come to regret?

The Long Road Homeby Alec John Belle

Brooke never meant to survive, hoping that the suicide attempt would end all of her suffering. After years of rejection, pain, and heartbreak, she feels as though she’s not good enough for anyone. Now she’s stuck in a hospital, being forced to take antidepressants and is getting therapy for her issues.
And she hates it until she meets Matt.

Now Brooke must remember the past in order to better her future, while trying to keep her feelings for the new patient in check.

In this heartbreaking novel, a young girl will laugh, cry, and fight to find her way home to the one place that’s been ruined one too many times–her own heart.

Winner Lose Allby William F. Brown

Combining the best of World War II historical fiction, action adventure, and romance, this fast-paced spy thriller will resonate.
As WW II grinds to an halt in the rubble of Nazi Germany, all eyes turn to the next ‘cold’ one. The Americans, the Russians, and the British know the future belongs to whomever can grab Hitler’s ‘Wonder Weapon’ technology, because his new rockets, jet fighters, and submarines will shape the balance of world power for decades to come.

Old enemies become tomorrow’s allies, old friends can’t be trusted, and lies and double-dealing are now the norm in this spy vs spy thriller.

Caught in the cross-fire is the torrid but impossible love affair between Ed Scanlon, a brilliant American OSS agent and Hanni Steiner, the gritty, street-smart leader of the communist resistance cell in Leipzig, who find themselves in a tug of war over the plans for Germany’s revolutionary Me-262 jet fighter that is now sweeping the skies of American B-17s.

To succeed, they must outwit each other while staying one-step ahead of Otto Dietrich, the sadistic Gestapo Chief of Leipzig, who has his own plans for the jet fighter plans. So does Scanlon’s perfidious British handlers and Hanni’s KGB masters in Moscow.

Driven by the uncompromising dictates of Josef Stalin, Lavrenti Beria, Allen Dulles, Heinrich Himmler, and Winston Churchill, Ed and Hanni must succeed or die, and the winner will indeed lose all.

Looking for a good beach book or something to curl up wit in front of the fire? The author of Winner Lose All, has 7 other action-adventure novels on Kindle, with over 600 Five-Star Ratings. If you like Ed Scanlon, you’ll like the author’s new Bob Burke suspense thriller series with Burke’s War, Burke’s Gamble, and his new Burke’s Revenge, as well as The Undertaker, Aim True, My Brothers, Amongst My Enemies, and Thursday at Noon. Enjoy!

The Forgotten Childby Lorhainne Eckhart

How do you tell a man there is something wrong with his child?

–“This is by far one of the best books I have read. Lorhainne Eckhart proved herself yet again by pulling you in with a heartfelt story and keeping your attention with the passion that fills the pages.” — ROMANCE JUNKIES

–“A Real Tear Jerker: Omg, I loved this book. I stayed up all night trying to finish it. I cried, My heart broke, I have an 18 year old with autism. This would make a fabulous movie.” Reviewer – Tammy

–“Brilliant, there is no other word for it, heart grabbing, heart warming, gut wrenching, well written well researched, wanted to read it over & over again.” – Maureen

–BLACK RAVEN’S REVIEWS — “Ms. Eckhart has crafted a delightful story with engaging characters, enough drama for a Hallmark movie, and enough unconditional love to last a lifetime.”–Rated 5 Ravens and a Recommended Read by AJ!–

In THE FORGOTTEN CHILD, Brad Friessen wasn’t looking to love again. But what he got was a woman who shook his lonely bitter world upside down, and touched him in a way no other woman could.

Emily Nelson, a courageous young mother, ends a loveless, bitter marriage and strikes out on her own. She answers an ad as a cook and live-in caregiver to a three-year-old boy on a local ranch. Ranch owner Brad Friessen hires and moves in Emily and her daughter. But Emily soon discovers something’s seriously wrong with the boy, and the reclusive, difficult man who hired her can’t see the behavior and how delayed his son is. So Emily researches until she stumbles across what she suspects are the soft signs of autism. Now she must tell him, give him hope, and help him come to terms with this neurological disorder–to take the necessary steps to get his child the help he needs.

As their lives become intertwined, their attraction is unavoidable–a connection sparks between them. But just as they’re getting close, Brad’s estranged wife, Crystal, returns after abandoning the family two years earlier. Among the shock and confusion is one disturbing question Brad can’t shake: How does Crystal know so much of his personal business, the inner working of the ranch, and Emily’s relationship with his son?

Crystal must’ve had a plan, as she somehow gains the upper hand, driving a wedge in the emotional bond forged between Brad, Emily, and the children. The primary focus for care and therapy of three-year-old Trevor is diverted. The lengths to which Crystal will go, the lies, the greed, just to keep what’s hers, are nothing short of cold and calculating. Emily’s forced out of the house. Brad fights to save his boy, to protect what’s his, and struggles over his greatest sacrifice–Emily, and the haunting question: Has he lost her forever?