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Mario Escobar
Dear Readers,
The Auschwitz Lullaby starts with an note from Mario Escobar. It really sums up this review because I believe Mario did a wonderful job doing the one thing she was worried she would not be able to do. ” Auschwitz Lullaby has been the hardest book of my entire professional career to write – but not because of any formal difficulties with the writing or quandaries about where the story was headed. What worried me was not being about to capture the greatness of Helen Hannemann’s soul within the lines of these pages.”
Let me tell you Mario, you did a great job. I found Helen’s story fascinating and wondered how she managed to face everything she did with grace and dignity that I am sure I would not have in such a situation.
Helen chooses to follow her family to Auschwitz, as a pure German she was not under arrest. Her husband, and because of it, her children are Romanian. When the SS come to arrest them, she goes along. So starts a journey that will take her to 
places she never thought she would ever be.
Well written, to the point that it makes it hard to continue reading sometime because you know that what you are reading is something that happened. It was one of those books that are hard to read and I continually found myself have to take a deep breath while reading.
I strongly recommend this book to you. It is not one you will be able to stretch out on the beach and just enjoy, but it is a book that you need to read to learn from.
Happy Reading,
New Releases August 6 – 11
Dear Readers,
My TBR tower has fallen and I am stuck underneath it. Don’t send help, I will just read my way out. Maybe if you could push a cup of tea to me that would help.
Okay enough silliness, here are some more great reads to add to that tower.
Happy Reading,
Firestorm – Laura V. Hilton – #1 the Amish of Mackinac County – When Bridget Behr and her family migrate from a bustling Amish community in Ohio to the remote and isolated Upper Peninsula of Michigan, they’re met with an ugly surprise: the house they had bought sight unseen is an uninhabitable wreck. While her father and brother try to find work in the area, the family is forced to live in tents until the house and barn are rebuilt. Bridget can’t shake the guilt that it was her fault her family moved—and is too afraid to trust anyone, especially the flirtatious, overly-friendly Amish man who lives next door.
Gabriel Lapp has made Michigan his home out of necessity, but can’t wait to move back to Florida with its sunshine and warmer temperatures. But when Bridget’s family seeks refuge with Gabe during a fierce thunderstorm, he feels a tug of responsibility for them—especially the girl with the dark green eyes. Just as Bridget is finally settling into friendship, a new life, and maybe even love, a devastating forest fire ravages the county, destroying both land and the Behrs’ dreams. Now Bridget and her family must decide: will they leave behind the ashes and start anew in another Amish community? Or will they dare to fight for the future they’d hoped for in Mackinac County?
The Patriot Bride -Kimberly Woodhouse – The Daughters of the Mayflower – Faith Jackson is a wealthy widow, friend of George Washington, and staunch supporter of the Patriot cause. Matthew Weber is friends with both Ben Franklin and his son William, who increasingly differ in their political views; and Matthew finds himself privy to information on both sides of the conflict. When a message needs to get to a spy among the Loyalists, Faith bravely steps up and in turn meets Matthew Weber. Suddenly she believes she could love again. But someone else has his eye on the Faith she portrays in elite social circles. What will Matthew and Faith have to sacrifice for the sake of their fledgling country?
Heartland – Kimberly Stuart – Grace Klaren has finally made her dream of living in the Big Apple and working in the fashion industry a reality. But when she’s unexpectedly fired and can’t afford the next month’s rent, Grace does something she never thought she’d do: she moves back home. Back in Silver Creek, Iowa, Grace is determined to hate it. She rails against the quiet of her small town, where everything closes early, where there’s no nightlife, where everyone knows each other. She’s saving her pennies and plotting her return to New York when she almost runs over a man who’s not paying attention at a crosswalk. It turns out to be Tucker, her high school sweetheart whose heart she broke when she left ten years ago. They reconnect, and Grace remembers why she fell for him in the first place. And her career begins to turn around when she finds a gorgeous but tattered vintage dress at a flea market. She buys it, rips it apart seam by seam, and re-creates it with new fabric, updating the look with some of her own design ideas. She snaps a picture and lists the dress online, and within a day, it sells for nearly $200. Suddenly, Grace has her ticket out of here. But Grace can’t fight her growing feelings for Tucker. Sometimes when they’re together, Tucker paints a picture of what their future could be like, and it feels so real. And when she finally gains the funding to move her new business back to New York, Grace must decide where home really is—will she chase her long-held New York dream, or find a new dream here in the heartland?
A Treacherous Mix – Kathy Herman – #3 Ozark trilogy – When twenty-four-year-old Hawk Cummings wakes up by Beaver Lake at sunset, all he remembers is a dream about a spider that spewed venom. Then he realizes that Kennedy—the young woman he broke every vow to have an affair with—is gone. He rushes to her house only to find it empty. No furniture. No pictures. No sign that anyone lived there. Ashamed and confused, Hawk decides not to report anything to the sheriff. Then Hawk realizes that someone else in town knows what happened to his lover. He begins to fear for Kennedy’s life—and his own.
Thirst of Steel – Ronie Kendig – #3 Tox Files – Dismantled centuries ago, the sword of Goliath is still rumored to thirst for its enemies’ blood. Cole “Tox” Russell wants only to put the dangers of his past behind him and begin his new life with Haven Cortes. First, though, he’s called to complete a final mission: retrieve the sword and destroy the deadly Arrow & Flame Order. The AFO, however, is determined to reunite the sword. Threatening the life of Ram and Tzivia’s father, they jeopardize Ram’s long-held and dangerous secret while demanding Tzivia locate the blade. With the Wraith team slowly being torn apart, things worsen when Mercy Maddox, a new operative, emerges with the stunning news that the artifact is tied to both Ram’s secret and a string of unsolved serial murders. Tox, Ram, and the others are forced to set aside fear and anger to target the true enemy. No matter the cost, Wraith must destroy the AFO . . . or join them in the flames.
Author Visit
Dear Readers,
Did you know we are host Beverly Lewis here at the store on Sept. 11th at 7:00 p.m. She is going to speaking about her new book, First Love, that releases on Sept. 4th.
It is a free event. Her books will be available at a discount. Hope to see you all here.
About the book –
“Jah, that was undeniably a difficult time, one that opened my eyes in countless ways. And my heart, most of all. It was a season of sorrow and searching, of questions and answers.
It was the summer of my first love.
It’s the summer of 1951, and Maggie Esh is in need of some hope. Sweet-spirited and uncommonly pretty despite struggling with illness, she is used to being treated kindly by the young men of her Old Order Amish church district. Yet Maggie wishes she were more like other courting-age girls so she could live a normal, healthy life. When tent revival meetings come to the area, the words of the preacher cause her to reconsider what she knows about faith. Can she learn to trust God even when hope seems a distant dream?”
Happy Reading,
Carrie Stuart Parks
Dear Readers,
It is no secret that I love a good mystery and the CBA market has been producing more and more of them. Carrie Stuart Parks has been leading the way with her Gwen Marcey series. Her newest release, Formula of Deception, continues to show that she is an author that should be on anyone who likes a good mystery. 
Murphy Anderson is looking for her missing sister. While in Alaska she takes a job helping the local police take a deathbed confession that throws her in the middle of a 80 year old secret. The person who knows the answers is trying to keep it secret and is willing to kill to keep that secret.
With the blending of two different mysteries running side by side, Carrie does a great job keeping you guessing the whole book. I thought I had it figured out, but then Carrie points out what I missed and it changes everything. She brings in a few twist and the whole book comes together.
I enjoy Carrie’s books for that reason, she keeps you on your toes and she is willing to let her characters dictate who they are. So about the time you trust someone, they could turn out totally different. Which is what can happen in life, the one you least expect…
Add her to your TBR list and enjoy a really good murder mystery.
Happy Reading,
New Release July 30 – August 4
Dear Readers,
A new month and whole new batch of really good reads. Goodness summer is not long enough to get all my summer reads read. How are you doing on your summer reading list?
Happy Reading,
Shivering World – Kathy Tyers – Microbiologist Graysha Brady-Phillips accepts an offer to assist in terraforming the planet Goddard for two reasons: she needs the hazardous duty pay, and she hopes the planet’s colonists can provide a cure for the genetic disorder that is slowly killing her. But such genetic engineering has been banned for decades by the powerful Eugenics Board, and Graysha is that board’s high commissioner’s daughter. When the colonists discover this, she isn’t surprised that they ostracize her, for the penalties for conducting their radical research could include death. Graysha continues her work and tries to befriend the colonists, but soon she is dodging attempts on her life. Even as Graysha questions whether her hope is worth the peril, she realizes she has grown attached to her new world. But that world is threatened, and Graysha must decide what she is willing to sacrifice: her security and professional hopes, or her new faith and even newer love.
Dark Water Secrets – Robin Caroll – The Darkwater Inn stands tall and proud in the French Quarter, the hub of New Orleans. Bourbon Street is bustling, and general manager Adelaide Fountaine has her hands full with a hotel at capacity. But she is shocked when a body is found: a hotel guest stabbed with a kitchen knife. Detective Beau Savoie, Adelaide’s childhood friend, is on the case. As Beau digs into the victim’s past, he unearths a shocking connection between Adelaide and the murdered guest. Beau is hurt that his friend–the woman he’s quietly loved for years–kept the truth from him. To make matters worse, the stress of the investigation has sent Adelaide right into the comforting arms of her coworker Dimitri. But Beau can’t press Adelaide too hard . . . because he’s keeping secrets of his own. Can Adelaide and Beau afford to hide from the truth with a killer on the loose?
Miss Serena’s Secret – Carolyn Miller – #2 Regency Brides – A promise of hope – With devastating scars in her past, Serena Winthrop is sure no man can be trusted–especially not a man like the too-smooth Viscount Carmichael. His reputation as a flirt and a gambler is everything she despises. And the young artist makes sure that this disreputable heir to an earldom knows of her deep disapproval whenever they encounter one another. Henry, Lord Carmichael, is perfectly aware of his charms. He’s gambled with plenty of ladies’ hearts as easily as he has with their husbands’ money. But lately he’s wondered if there’s more to life–and if his actions might prove unworthy of an admirable wife such as his friends have found. When Serena’s guardian asks his best friend to protect his young ward, Henry promises to be on his best behavior and not to woo her. But the more he learns of her, the more he realizes she might be his best reason for changing his character.
Murder at the Flamingo – Rachel McMillan – Hamish DeLuca has spent most of his life trying to hide the anxiety that appears at the most inopportune times — including during his first real court case as a new lawyer. Determined to rise above his father’s expectations, Hamish runs away to Boston where his cousin, Luca Valari, is opening a fashionable nightclub in Scollay Square. When he meets his cousin’s “right hand man” Reggie, Hamish wonders if his dreams for a more normal life might be at hand. Regina “Reggie” Van Buren, heir to a New Haven fortune, has fled fine china, small talk, and the man her parents expect her to marry. Determined to make a life as the self-sufficient city girl she’s seen in her favorite Jean Arthur and Katharine Hepburn pictures, Reggie runs away to Boston, where she finds an easy secretarial job with the suave Luca Valari. But as she and Hamish work together in Luca’s glittering world, they discover a darker side to the smashing Flamingo night club. When a corpse is discovered at the Flamingo, Reggie and Hamish quickly learn there is a vast chasm between the haves and the have-nots in 1937 Boston–and that there’s an underworld that feeds on them both. As Hamish is forced to choose between his conscience and loyalty to his beloved cousin, the unlikely sleuthing duo work to expose a murder before the darkness destroys everything they’ve worked to build.
Fawkes – Nadine Brandes – Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England. Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th-century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death. But what if death finds him first? Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did it. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot–claiming it will put an end to the plague–Thomas is in.
