Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Earlier this month I read A Dangerous Engagement (read my review), book 6 in the Amory Ames series, but I hadn't read any other books in the serious. Since I enjoyed it so I looked at Netgalley to see if there were any other books coming up from Ashley Weaver and I saw that book 1 in the series was available. I thought it was good to see how it all started, and I'm glad I did because it didn't start where I thought it did.

The Only Skill that Matters: The Proven Methodology to Read Faster, Remember More, and Become a Super Learner by Jonathan A. Levi ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

I don't read many self-help books - I figure that you can't teach an old dog new tricks so why bother reading about things that I can't change.  However, the title of this book grabbed me right away - is there a way to learn how to read faster and remember what you read?  If so, I want to learn it.  I read fairly fast but don't ask me the title of the last book that I read or the plot because I just don't remember it. This book isn't just aimed at students and young people but also addresses learning for older people and  I did learn some things in this book that I can use in my reading life.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"Spring had finally come and I shed the dying winter, the death of maritial bed, and returned briefly to my ten-year-old child of yesteryear.  I leaned into the raw spring wind feeling the spirit of books bursting in my saddlebags - the life climbing into my bones."  (loc 362)

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, & Karen White ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

The Glass Ocean is a historical mystery by three authors who have all written popular books on their own. When they team up, the result is bound to be great. This is a dual narrative novel that takes place in 1915 and present day. The two stories are intertwined throughout but there is a mystery that doesn't get solved until the end. The story is centered around the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. Two of the main characters were on the ship and the other is trying to find out more about one of her ancestors.

The Orchid Throne by @JeffeKennedy | @SMPRomance ~ a Review & Excerpt

by MK French

Keep reading for an excerpt from chapter 1 after the review.

Lia is the Queen of Calanthe, an island nation that is still nominally independent thanks to her father's idea of betrothing Lia to the tyrant emperor Anure and supplying tithes. Other nations in their world had tried to fight back, and their nobility was decimated, people killed, resources pillaged. She will do anything to keep her people free from the mad tyrant who rules the mainland now that he is turning his attention to Calanthe. Conrí, former Crown Prince of Oriel, was a slave since childhood in the mines, has built an army to overthrow the emperor. But he needs Lia’s fabled Abiding Ring to succeed, so the two are about to meet.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates ~ a Review

by MK French

Hiram Walker was born into slavery, even though his father was the Virginia plantation owner. His mother was sold away and he continued to live on the property, his impressive memory being a trait that others want to maximize. He continues to live the life of the Tasked, until nearly drowning in a river. A mysterious power seems to have rescued him from death, and he is eventually caught up in the Underground and helping to free others from slavery. It's a difficult life, and Hiram wants to save those he cares about as well.

Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger ~ a Review

by MK French

General Tala was devastated by the war waged between the different kingdoms. Her homeland of Sanbuna included rituals to pact with animals, but she had gone over and above the usual shadepact prior to the war's end. Iron Prince Jimuro is all that's left of the Tomoda royal family and has to be escorted back to his homeland to be crowned the Iron Lord. There are factions within the Tomodanese that want to see Tomoda rule supreme again. In the meantime, Princess Xiulan of Shang had become a Li-Quan inspector and brought the Jeongsonese thief Lee in to help her track down the elusive Prince Jimuro in the hopes that she could present him to her father and become the heir of Shang.