Lead stories from SPR’s ever-growing independent book portal
Review: Dream Child (Dream Series Book 3) by J. J. DiBenedetto ★★★★★
Dream Child by J. J. DiBenedetto continues the story of Dr. Sara Alderson, following on from the second book in the Dream series, Dream Doctor, as she and her husband Brian have become parents to four-year-old daughter Lizzie. Now a first-year resident pediatrician as well as wife and mother, Sara barely has time to dream herself when Lizzie begins to show signs of her mother’s ability to enter the dreams of others. As Sara prepares for two new surprise additions to her family, Lizzie enters the dreams of a new friend: a young boy who just so happens to […]
Blackcloak: A Man of his Sword is the first installment of the Bloody Tapestry of Kaef’re series. The book is set in the eponymous Kaef’re: a strange and exotic world reminiscent of, but not analogous to, ancient China, where the world is alive with the forces of nature, magic, and things far beyond true mortal comprehension. In this twisted realm, where dream and reality can uncomfortably intertwine, a young man sets out on a journey of self – against these forces, between mortal and immortal, and through the hands of the two who vie for his life and more. Observed […]
Losing Heart by Donna Brown is a fast-paced novella that covers a wide range of emotions in a small number of pages. Helen is facing the most difficult of issues: she is in need of a heart transplant and has only five months to live. Cut to 6 months later and Helen is very much alive and isn’t quite worried about living life on the edge: she’s having an affair with her doctor, Jack, while her husband and the mother of the donor become more and more suspicious.
Pianist in a Bordello by Mike C. Erickson is a political satire about a congressional candidate who, ten points down in the polls, decides to tell the truth about his life in an incendiary memoir. After the introduction where his handlers are imploring him to not release this autobiography, the bulk of the book is the autobiography itself, where we learn that the congressman-to-be was raised by a hippie father on a commune, and gets involved with all types of women, nearly gets arrested for spilling state secrets, and basically doesn’t behave very well for someone hoping to enter politics.[…]
The Charismatics (Book 1), by Ashley R. Carlson, is a pleasant surprise that will transform readers into instant fans.
Activate Leadership: Aspen Truths To Inspire Millennial Leaders by Jon Mertz sets out the confident and unusual philosophy that, due to the digital landscape, young leaders in business, known here as “Millennials” are connected like aspens on a ski slope, forever rooted together and never alone due to the Internet.
The Kingdom of Assassins by Erik Mackenzie is the exciting and impressively detailed story of an NYPD detective, Mike Maclaymore, who teams up with a Saudi princess to stop a terrorist attack in New York City. It traverses the globe between New York, the Middle East, and Europe, covering every angle of the operation. Throughout the book, there are many twists and surprises, as it is unclear who exactly is responsible for the threat. In this way, Kingdom of Assassins moves like a whodunnit murder mystery as much as a rolling political thriller, as the clues unravel fast and furiously, […]
Shattered by the Wars, by Hi-Dong Chai, should be required reading. This powerful coming of age memoir is a story of love, faith, suffering, and sacrifice.