
Happy Friday, everyone! Instead of talking more about the Wednesday, word (wait), I decided I’d not make you WAIT any longer for my January reviews! See how I did that? 🙂

MY REVIEW:
A Western with a different twist! This novella whetted my appetite for the next book with these characters. It served as a great introduction and now I need to know what happens to Sumac. It took me a minute to figure out he was a shapeshifter, but once I did, I was all in for the events that happened.
I will say this story left me not knowing exactly who to root for, but I’m leaning toward Sumac. I liked him immediately. And then, there’s Charlotte. Now, there’s a mystery I need to solve.
The story is well-written and so very different from any Western I’ve ever read. I love the setting. What’s not to love about a riverside town and especially when it’s next to the old mighty Mississippi. Another mystery presented is the train. It must get through at all costs and someone is determined to stop it. This is the first book in the River Vine series and I’m looking forward to the next. If you are a fan of the 1800s mixed with dark fantasy, you will enjoy this well-written story.

MY REVIEW:
Wow! This book leaves me a bit speechless and a whole lot disturbed. Set in the not so distant future, it is a dystopian story that is more real than fiction, as things across the globe continue to deteriorate in our world.
Lita Stone is on top of the world, making a decent living as an influencer blogger and sharing a flat with two roommates she adores, Nick and Kendall. She finally has a place she belongs and can call home. After being bounced around in foster care and never having family, she’s happy where she is.
Nick, a journalist, also has an undercover blog where he exposes what others don’t dare. Kendall has a job and is always happy.
That is until it all starts to unravel. The UK is under the control of a government that is raging a war on its citizens through propaganda and armed force. Homeless are rounded up and sent to live in what they call Hope Villages.
Lita, Nick and Kendall never imagined they would end up in one of the villages, but they do. Conditions inside are worse than bad. What’s being done to these people is inhumane.
The author did a great job of letting the reader see both sides of the equation, and also shows us how easily the public can be swayed by the media. In this story, the government has seized control of everything from the food supply to healthcare and nothing is at they make it appear. I don’t want to leave any spoilers in my review, so I won’t go too deep into the story. But I will say this story left me feeling vulnerable and much more leery of anything I see or here in the media or on social media. As I said, it leaves me wide-eyed and disturbed. This is a dystopian story everyone should read. Folks, it can happen. I give this book an easy five stars!

MY REVIEW:
I met Summer in the first McIntyre book when her brother Cade found her working as a nurse. The family had been torn apart by murderers and Cade’s goal is to reunite all the siblings.
In this story, Summer has moved to a new town, still working as a nurse. The man she loves, Dan, is the new sheriff and they are soon to be married. Only a fly jumps into the ointment in the form of a deranged woman with a baby, claiming the baby is Dan’s. Now what? Can their love survive?
There is an underlying plot to find more of the McIntyre siblings, and this journey takes both Summer and Dan into the midst of something more dangerous than they can imagine.
While they try to rekindle the love and trust they once had, they must also fight for their lives and the life of Summer’s brother, who has been held captive and horribly abused.
This is a wonderful story full of twists and turns. The romance is palpable. You can feel the love Summer and Dan have for each other, if only they can find their way back to it. I highly recommend this story for anyone who loves a gripping story set in the dead of winter in the 1800s.

MY REVIEW:
I’ve had this book for a while and put off reading it because of fear. I lost my husband sixteen years ago and one thing I know for sure is we never stop living in some state of grief, although it changes over time.
As the author points out in her book, anything can trigger that deep hurt and we never really know what it will be. It can be a photo, a song, or even just a thought.
But I found, by reading this book, that I am not alone in my feelings. They are validated. While there is no way to ever get over the loss of a spouse, there are ways to get through it and keep living and that is what the author shares from her own experience. I saved a couple of quotes from the book as they really hit home to me.
“When the mind is steeped in grief, nothing else feels like it matters.”
This is so true.
Then moving forward, alone, in this state of grief is an entirely difficult task. The author has this to say:
“Adapting to a new life is hard work, emotionally, and mentally. Putting ourselves back into the land of the living is a big step that is beneficial to us all, but no easy task. So, we begin with baby steps, with the goal of learning to walk steadily in our own brand new shoes…”
If you’ve experienced a loss so devastating you’ve forgotten how to breathe, I highly recommend this book to help you find your way. Again, the author writes from experience, not from theories and it is raw honesty.

MY REVIEW:
I am a fan of James Wade’s storytelling. That’s a plain simple fact. He has the unique ability to dive deep inside extremely flawed characters and pull the reader in with them.
This is a story of quests.
America is in the throes of the Great Depression in the 1930s and this story is set in East Texas. William is a fifteen year old kid facing things that would challenge any adult, much less a teenager. His mother, Laurie, is dying. He knows it and is helpless to stop it. The bank is foreclosing on the farm and he can do nothing about that. The cotton crop has withered in the field despite his efforts to keep it growing. And on top of it all, his father is missing.
William’s quest is to find his father and bring him back home before his mother dies. But he has only a vague idea of where Thomas Carter might be. Yet, he’s determined. If only he can get his father to come back, maybe his mother will agree to go to Houston for treatment. Before leaving to find his father, he stops in to see his best friend, Ollie. He needs someone to take care of his mother while he is gone and Ollie has a relative who is a nurse. Only, Ollie won’t let William go without him. His loyalty is what friendships are truly made of.
Along the way, the two boys encounter a young girl, Lena, who joins them on the journey. In some ways, this is a coming of age story but it goes so much deeper than that.
There are so many memorable characters this trio encounters on their journey through swamps, thickets, fields and rivers. The witch woman in the cabin is portrayed in such vivid detail, I could see, hear and smell her.
And while William is on his quest, his father, Thomas, is on a quest of his own. I liked that the author gave the reader some insight into what drove Thomas through an occasional peek through his point of view.
Do either William or Thomas succeed on their quests? I won’t tell you. But I will say this story is a compelling emotional rollercoaster. The only criticism I have is that for some reason the author resorted to using lots of extremely long, run-on sentences with a plethora of ‘ands’. That threw me out of the story just a bit, but still I couldn’t help but give it five-stars for the storytelling prowess shown by Mr. Wade. I highly recommend it!

MY REVIEW:
This book has many different nuances. The characters are believable and memorable. The danger is thick and palpable and the ending is perfect.
Glory Walker has a gift. It terrifies most people, but her family which consists only of her father and brother respect and protect her at all costs.
So when Glory is awakened in the middle of the night in a panic from a vision, her father and brother jump in immediately to get her to the person desperately in need of her help.
That person turns out to be Wyatt Hatfield. He’s been in a horrific car crash and the only thing that can save his life is the rare type of blood that Glory has.
That’s the beginning of this great story. And when Wyatt starts to experience an uncanny and unexplained connection, he must leap into action when he hears her cry for help from not only miles away, but from another state. Once he arrives, the story really takes wings and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to keep up. As always, Sharon Sala, delivers a compelling story with touches of metaphysical elements which I love. If you’re looking for a different kind of romance that also includes murder, small town drama and high stakes danger, you’ll love this one. I read it in one sitting.
Such great reading in January!! And it’s continuing in February with another book that has me in its grips. I hope you found something new to read in these. It’s my pleasure to share!
Great reads by awesome writers. Thanks for the reviews.
My pleasure, Darlene. Thank you for dropping by!
Thanks for sharing your reviews, Jan. These sound like great reads. Narrow the Road sounds particularly interesting to me, and I’m actually okay with really long sentences.
James Wade is one of my favorite authors and even though the long sentences threw me out, the story brought me right back in. He delves deep into the human psyche and takes the reader along with him. I can’t recommend him highly enough. His books are a bit pricy, and normally I wait until they are on KU, but this time I couldn’t wait (oh look! there’s that word again). 🙂 I hope you enjoy it if you pick it up.
Great reviews. The first one sounds interesting and the second gives me Orwell vibes
Thank you for stopping by, Jeanne. I’m glad you found something that interests you. Terry Tyler’s book is definitely along the Orwell lines. I hope you give both books a try. Have a great weekend!
What a list! That second one, about a dystopian future… I don’t suppose there’s a happy ending????
Actually, Jacqui, there is a satisfying ending. I wouldn’t call it ‘happy’ but satisfying. Thank you so much for stopping by!
Thank you for your super reviews. Always good to find new books.
My pleasure, Esther. I’m happy you stopped by and enjoyed my thoughts on these books!
Thank you so much for choosing Summer’s Heart, Sister. I’m really honored to be among all these very awesome writers! I’ve known Sharon and have been reading her books since 1990. She never writes a bad book. I’ll check out some of the others. Several really intrigue me. Wow!
It’s my pleasure to include Summer’s Heart, sister. I loved the story! I agree about Sharon Sala. I’ve never read a book of hers I didn’t enjoy. Glad you found some others that intrigue you! Thank you for stopping by. Love you!
I especially appreciated your review of the real stages of grief.
So glad to hear, Pat. I appreciate you stopping by.
You’re right about Terry’s book, Jan. I read it years ago and looking at the world today, it wouldn’t surprise me if it happened. You had a great month of reading!
Yes, I did. So glad you stopped by, Teri.
It’s great to read your wonderful reviews, Jan. Very nice that you posted them.
So glad you enjoyed them, Tim. Thanks for dropping by!
I’m glad I enjoyed them too, Jan. Dropping by is a pleasure to me. 😍
Dear Jan, thank you so much for the lovely review of Hope – I’m delighted you liked it!
I’m so sorry you have been through what Debby suffered, and hope that reading the book helped … I thought the book was terrific.
xxxxx
My pleasure, Terry. I’m happy to share my thoughts on Hope here. I found a lot of commonalities reading Debby’s book. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Jan. What a lovely surprise to find my book here. You know what the grief word is all about. I know well how you may have had to take a pause while reading – it’s how I felt while writing it.
Thanks for sharing these intriguing books as well. I’ve read a few and now going to check out some of the others. 🧡
I was happy to include my thoughts on your book here, Debby. I found a lot of commonalities, as I knew I would. Thank you for taking the time to put it all into words. I know it will help many others.
Thanks for the great reviews, Jan. Looks like a lot of good reading.
My pleasure, Dan. Thanks for dropping by!
I have Debby’s book on my TBR list. I lost my first husband over 30 years ago. I remarried, but Mark remains as a formative part of my life. Thanks for sharing these. You write delightful reviews.
I’m so sorry to hear you lost your first husband, Marsha, but my hat is off to you for moving on and remarrying. I think you’ll relate to a lot of Debby’s book. Thank you for stopping by and I’m happy you enjoyed the reviews!
My pleasure to visit.
Hi Jan, a lovely lot of books here. I haven’t read any of them but I have Debby’s and another book of tour sister’s on my TBR.