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Animal Conquest: General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms by David Bush

Vivid, lush, and beautifully told… Bush’s fifth installment in the General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms series is an ambitious allegory that reimagines the Crusades through talking animals, blending history, morality, and adventure. In 1210, Jean, a…
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IN THE COMPANY OF WHALES by Judy Taylor

A quietly powerful tale that blends environmental urgency with intimate character study. In Taylor’s latest novel, a washed-up punk rocker living on the margins of a Pacific Northwest coastal town is forced out of survival mode when nineteen killer whales…
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The Cutters by Brad Collis

Spare, unsentimental, and deeply resonant; a layered portrait of resilience. Collis’s latest is a quietly powerful novel of postwar survival set against the harsh beauty of rural Western Australia. Two years after returning from Vietnam, Matthew Walker is still caught…
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Where the Mountains Whisper: A Novel by Jenny Cafaro

Atmospheric, evocative, and emotionally charged… Set against the rugged backdrop of Eastern Kentucky, Cafaro’s compelling novel follows a young girl’s fight to claim her voice.  Growing up under the weight of her father’s drinking, childhood in Coon Ridge for Flora…
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Of Wind and Wolves (The Steppe Saga Book 1) by J. M. Elliott

Brutal, poetic, and unforgettable… A warrior princess, a scarred prince, and an ancient oath intersect in Elliott’s myth-drenched story of survival, selfhood, and sacrifice on the Scythian frontier. Anaiti, a hamazon trained in the ways of her mother’s people, is…
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Maverick Key: Hearts on the Line (The Maverick Key Series Book 1) by Margot Keene

A slow-burning, emotionally charged suspense story… A heartbroken veterinarian finds herself drawn to a haunted diver, tangled secrets, and the stormy depths of love in Keene’s steamy, suspense-filled series starter. Maddie Carter isn’t like the other newcomers to Maverick Key.…
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Rising From the Sea (North to Home Book 3) by Crissi McDonald

Haunting, lyrical, and deeply atmospheric… McDonald’s engrossing finale in the North to Home trilogy is a deeply atmospheric blend of contemporary fiction and mythic storytelling. Keet leaves his sister, Zelka, at the mysterious Water Canyon House with their new family.…
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Lili Comes To Herself: A novel by Zoe Carada

Cerebral, nuanced, and emotionally tense… Carada’s latest novel is a sharp meditation on selfhood and survival under an oppressive regime. Romania, 1986. Science prodigy Lili Danes dreams of time travel and saving John Lennon while suffocating in her Young Communist…
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Resilient: She Will Not Be Defeated (Iconic Sons MC Book 1) by Kahlani B. Steele

A bold and powerful read that is impossible to put down… Steele’s inaugural book in the Iconic Sons MC series is a razor-sharp story of survival and betrayal, charting one woman’s dangerous journey through a world of passion and fractured…
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Raising Hel by Cynthia J. Bogard

Raw, harrowing, and powerful… Bogard’s latest is an evocative and deeply personal tale that plunges readers into the turbulent 1970s, a time of political upheaval, countercultural movements, and personal reinvention. Set against the backdrop of Madison, Wisconsin, the story introduces…
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The End of the World (As We Know It) by Kayla Kruse

A raw exploration of trauma, sexuality, and the mind-body connection… Kruse’s debut is a gripping dive into the fractured psyche of a young woman grappling with trauma and delusion. The story follows Kayla, who navigates trauma, mental health crises, and…
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Testament by Eli Felix

A profound meditation on belief, authority, and the human experience. Felix’s retelling of biblical events is a skillful mix of history, spirituality, and power struggles that tackle enduring questions of belief and control. It all begins with God’s creation of…
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Fragility by Mosby Woods

A brilliant literary tale of upheaval and discord… Woods presents a satirical exploration of the societal shifts and political tensions emerging in Portland, as the city cautiously emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic in his latest literary tale. Portland, Oregon. The…
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Distant Rumors: 16 Stories of Life and Death by William Gensburger

  An elegant, memorable collection… Set in present day, distant future, and alternate reality, this short story collection by Gensburger focuses on the familiar themes of life and death. Beginning with commonplace themes, Gensburger skillfully sprinkles oddities, leading to a…
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Centupled by Mara Mer

Brilliantly evocative, slyly humorous… Mer takes a playful, comical approach to a family’s impending crisis as they come together for the 100th birthday celebration of its head. Told in third-person omniscient, the story occurs during a stormy evening in Venice…
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Off The Well-Lit Path by M.S. Holm

  A tense, taut, character-driven thriller… a triumph of a book! Set against the harsh, unforgiving backdrop of a Mexican state where murder, carjacking, kidnapping, extortion, and robbery are widespread, Holm’s gritty thriller narrates harrowing journey of a father who…
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East of Lincoln by Harlin Hailey

  Ageless and highly engrossing… an excellent literary tale! Award-winning author Hailey’s recent outing takes the reader across a run-down neighborhood in Los Angeles and follows the journey of a motley crew of unemployed characters. The group, brought together by…
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Just Because We Can by Nicole Brooks

  A moving debut… Nicole Brooks makes her debut with a moving story of love and ever-changing family dynamics filled with spiritual and emotional healing. After a string of failed IVFs and with onset of anxiety-laden panic attacks, Dale decides…