The Diamond Eye is an excellent fictionalized retelling of the life of the legendary Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko (called Mila in the book). Lyundmila was an infamously deadly Soviet sniper (incidentally, born in Kiyv) who is credited with killing over 300 Nazis during World War II. She was so good at her job, she earned the…
The Light After the War is the author’s first novel under the name Anita Abriel although she has been published previously as Anita Hughes. Based on her mother’s life, the book is the story of two young Jewish-Hungarian women who miraculously survived the purges of WWII and in the aftermath struggle to build lives for…
Jenn Bennett evokes classic movies and stories of derring-do in her latest novel, Lady Rogue. Set in Europe in 1937, this fun twist on the treasure hunting tales of yore is laden with romance, adventure, and just a touch of magic. The last time Theo (Theodora) Fox saw sexy Irish hunk Huck Gallagher she’d been…
In this story based on the real-life experiences of Roxanne Veletzo’s grandmother, a young girl is left by her Jewish mother on the stoop of a house in Bucharest, believing that this will be the only way to save the child from the Nazi invasion. She’s taken in by a kindly concierge, who brings her…
Spinning Silver is a lush, richly imagined, gloriously magical fantasy novel that takes its inspiration from Russian and Jewish folklore. A story full of adventure, wit, dangerous fey and clever queens, it is everything, EVERYTHING that a fairy tale for adults should be. Irina is the plain daughter of the first wife of an upstart…
Her Rogue Alpha is the fifth book in Paige Tyler’s X-Ops series, combining military and government forces special operation missions with paranormal elements, specifically characters that are shifters or genetically enhanced hybrids. The combination of tight, action packed sequences with the skills of paranormal heroes and heroines make for some entertaining stories. I read and enjoyed…
The Siren’s Dance is a paranormal romance, unique in its setting and premise. It’s the second in the Siren Romance series by Amber Belldene which began with The Siren’s Touch. Each story is designed to be read as a standalone but characters from book one appear in book two. It combines Slavic mythology with a…
Set in 1940, The Winter Guest is a hauntingly evocative tale of two sisters – twins – who are struggling to care for their three younger siblings in rural Poland at a time of great upheaval and uncertainty. Their father is dead, and their mother is ill in a hospital in Krakow, and the two…
Oh my gosh, I couldn’t put this book down. Incredibly compelling, highly evocative of those glorious days of true Gothic literature, The Dead Travel Fast is a book that is meant to be savored slowly. Very slowly. These days it’s not often that I find myself so immersed in a story that I forget everything…
It’s a given, for me, that any book Shana Abe creates will be a beautifully written, lyrical story that captures all your senses. She could probably turn my grocery list into some type of poetry. But is that enough? No. If there isn’t enough plot and character dimension, all the lush descriptions would fall to…