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Intimate Fractures: The Aftermath of a Rape by Wagih Abu-Rish

Entrancing, intriguing, and engaging.  Abu-Rish’s latest novel chronicles one man’s grueling yet ultimately rewarding journey in the aftermath of a traumatic experience. It’s 1963. Mustafa, a foreign student from Duke University and a Palestinian man, is viciously attacked and raped…
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Contrast by Linda Coussement

Original, at times disquieting, but always fascinating… In Coussement’s poignant novel, three people struggle with the demons of their past and the uncertainty of their present. The appearance of mysterious circles in gardens separated by a wall changes the lives…
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Replenishing the Sea of Galilee: A Family Saga across Ethnicity, Place, and Religion: A Novel by Wagih Abu-Rish

A heartwarming tale of love, acceptance, and family… Set against the background of the forever present conflict between Palestine and Israel, Abu-Rish’s latest is a poignant story of love, loss, and the power of perseverance. 1940s, Palestine. Twins Rasheed Dinar…
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A Home out of Ashes: Sisters of Stella Mare#3 by Annie M. Ballard

Compelling, heartwarming, and refreshing… An addictively readable tale of marriage and family ties… A young couple confront their own strengths in the wake of impossible life circumstances in Ballard’s outstanding third installment in the Sisters of Stella Mare series. Rett’s…
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The Dog Stays: And Other Stories by Marjan Sierhuis

Lighthearted yet profound; a beautiful collection. Sierhuis’s debut, a collection of short stories, delves into happiness and pain, joy and grief, and life and death. There is a vast cast, including humans, animals, and otherworldly beings, united by longing and…
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THE BLUE IRIS by Rachel Stone

Riveting, soul-searching, and full of heart… A spectacularly told story. Love tested beyond its limits is at the heart of Stone’s latest poignant novel. Life is looking more than promising for Tessa Lewis: she is engaged to Toronto’s fastest-rising lawyer…
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Life at the Precipice by R. F. Vincent

Mesmerizing, brilliant, Gripping work… Struggling with PTSD after a failed rescue mission, Travis Sivart, an Air Force officer, comes across a newspaper that supposedly came from Pyrite Ridge, an isolated town perched on the precipice of abyss after geological phenomena…
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Agnes’s Broken Dreams by Judy King

A deeply poignant story of trauma, pain, and moving-on. King’s evocative novel depicts one woman’s coming-of-age journey as she returns to her hometown to unravel the long-buried secrets of her traumatic past. Growing up, Agnes has been the target of…
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Love & Fate by Peter Toeg

A bittersweet and, at times, bizarre collection that looks at the complexities of life with style and savvy… In his absorbing latest collection of short stories, Toeg deftly explores love, life, death, family dynamics, loneliness, grief, guilt, regret, and redemption.…
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New Normal by Michelle Paris

An engrossing and poignant coming of age story that registers profound feelings.  Paris weaves in a tender story about grief, love, and second chances in her debut novel. Struggling to come to terms with the unexpected death of her beloved…