Frontier Grit by Marianne Monson brings the adventure, ingenuity and extraordinary fearlessness of American pioneer women to life. As a huge fan of the pioneer spirit, I enjoyed learning about the women who shaped our country from this book. I’m normally a fiction reader, but the lack of enough authentic frontier fiction to keep me…

I was reminded of two of my favorite books while reading this story. ECHOES OF FAMILY by Barbara Claypole White weaves a hint of tempestuous saga, as in THE THORN BIRDS by Colleen McCullough but with a plausible happy ending. It also illuminates the country quirkiness of rural English life, which reminds me of James…

I purchased a print copy of MAGNATE by Joanna Shupe for a buddy read at Goodreads. Thanks to Andrea, Ash, Bubu, Christina, Jill, Linda, Luli, Lyuda, Nefise and Oana for introducing me to this author and for the great discussion. I was intrigued with the heroine who starts her own brokerage firm when women were…

Reminiscent of the Gothics of the 1970s, THE HOUSE BETWEEN TIDES by Sarah Maine takes the reader on a stimulating stroll through two time periods, igniting the senses with a classic mysterious aura. The moodiness of the location easily placed my mind on holiday in the past while unraveling the mystery in the present. It…

THE CHOICES WE MAKE by Karma Brown is a story full of love, but it’s not in the typical romance novel format. I think it’s better described as women’s fiction with family development at a crossroads. There are two couples in love, but this book is more about friendship as well as how life swirls…

UNDER THE DESERT SKY by Sara Luck portrays an unusual combination of a South African hero traveling to the Arizona Territory in the 1900s. Raising ostriches for their plumes isn’t something I ever heard about from our history, so I find that part of this novel appealing within a western historical romance. Due to a…