Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in BookClub.
Review of ' Face the Night'
Western and fantasy: I now know books encompassing both exist, but it doesn’t feel like it would be something I would read. Now, Face the Night delivered in ways I didn’t imagine I would enjoy, and I think the core of that has to go with Forbes’ storytelling.
By Cyn's Workshopabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Mr Hammond and the Poetic Apprentice by Mellany Ambrose
Summer, 1814. Thomas Hammond is an apothecary surgeon in a village near London whose dreams of a grand medical career were ruined by a shameful secret. He longs to see his apprentice, his son Edward, become a great surgeon. His other apprentice is eighteen-year-old local orphan, John Keats. Thomas sees John as a daydreamer who wastes time reading. John asks Thomas how he copes with his patients’ suffering, but Thomas has no real answer. After all, Georgian medicine is brutal with no anaesthesia, antisepsis or antibiotics. Leeches are used to bleed and medicines can poison rather than cure. Thomas failed to save John’s mother four years earlier, and when John criticises Thomas’s methods tempers flare on both sides. Despite their differences, Thomas and John begin to develop a grudging respect for each other with Thomas seeing a humanity in the way John relates to patients. Their relationship deepens into one more resembling father and son while Thomas's true son, Edward, disappoints his father. Thomas realises John is gifted and would make a skilled surgeon, but to help John succeed Thomas must confront his own past mistakes. On the verge of qualifying as a surgeon, John unexpectedly abandons medicine for poetry. Thomas is devastated and struggles to find meaning in his life and work. As he faces one final challenge, can the master learn some valuable lessons about life from his poetic apprentice before it’s too late?
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Masquerade Fall by Estella G. Fogg
Recently orphaned Elodie Di Silva is about to make her debut into Society, sponsored by her mother's friend's family. Quietly grieving, she allows Lady Beaumont and friends to guide her. But with the arrival of Lady Beaumont's enigmatic son, Lord Lucan Beaumont, who sends chills down Elodie's spine, she senses her debut is about to be derailed. Stalked by day, and haunted by night by glimpses of a dark-haired man, who is somehow both stranger and familiar to her, Elodie vows to discover his secrets, and why she is so drawn to him. But things are not what they seem. Elodie's history with Raphael Blackmore, Duke of Mistbourne, is more complicated than she could ever have imagined. Thrust into the bright lights of the Ton, Elodie navigates masquerade balls, picnics and house parties - where revelations will present one final fateful choice. She must decide whether to spread her wings and embrace the truth of her past... or allow the gilded cage of lies to close around her, locking her in an unwanted future.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Maid of Steel by Kate Baker
It’s 1911 and, against her mother’s wishes, quiet New Yorker Emma dreams of winning the right to vote. She is sent away by her parents in the hope distance will curb her desire to be involved with the growing suffrage movement and told to spend time learning about where her grandparents came from. Across the Atlantic - Queenstown, southern Ireland - hotelier, Thomas, dreams of being loved, even noticed, by his actress wife, Alice. On their wedding day, Alice’s father had assured him that adoration comes with time. It’s been eight years. But Alice has plans of her own and they certainly don’t include the fight for equality or her dull husband. Emma’s arrival in Ireland leads her to discover family secrets and become involved in the Irish Women’s Suffrage Society in Cork. Her path to suffrage was never meant to lead to a forbidden love affair…
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Lost Solace by Karl Drinkwater
They’re called the Lost Ships … but sometimes they come back. And when they do the crews are missing, while the ships have been strangely altered, rumoured to be full of horrors. Opal Imbiana has been seeking something her whole life. It’s a secret so precious she’s willing to risk her life recovering it from a recently discovered Lost Ship, in a lonely nebula far from colonised space. She’s just one woman, entering an alien and lethal environment. But with the aid of an amazing AI companion and experimental armoured suit, Opal might just stand a chance. This blast of a book kickstarted the much-loved Lost Solace series, about an unlikely friendship between two women who keep hope alive in the darkest of times.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Lost in the Crowd: Benji's Story by Sarah McKnight
Life is good at Benji’s house. At least, that’s what everyone seems to think. Benji Lance, on the other hand, isn’t so sure. The legendary party host may not be as content with his chill, unsupervised life as he lets on, and the weight of pretending is really starting to take a toll. With a new school year underway, Benji is assigned a project that will force him to face his feelings and uncover an elusive secret buried within his family’s history. But can Benji make it to the end of the year without shutting down, or will he learn how to confront his feelings head-on? The expectations on Benji are a heavy burden to bear, and every day brings him closer to his breaking point.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Lady of Dragons by Shelby Elizabeth
"You will be bound, dragon and human." Finlay McDonough wants nothing more than to be a Dragon Knight: a warrior bound with a dragon partner, intent on ridding the kingdom of its dragon-killing monarchy. Well, she might want one thing just a bit more … Evander, her childhood friend, now keeper of the dragon sanctuary. Scouting with Evander one day, Finlay’s attempt to save a dragon goes horribly wrong, and she inadvertently ties her fate to the dragon’s—their souls bind, lending Finlay powers like those of the Mages the Knights are sworn to destroy. After passing the trial to train as a Knight, Finlay discovers a devastating truth about a beloved dragon. To save them, she’ll need to risk her dream of becoming a true Knight, her chance at a happily-ever-after with Evander . . . and maybe her very identity. Fantasy romance with a fierce heroine, gentle love interest, sassy dragon companion, and more than a dash of adventure awaits.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Lady and the Tramp and Me by B.L. Berg
Life doesn’t always turn out the way you think it should, does it? For instance, what happens when you get a puppy you don’t want? For Simon that answer is simply: nothing good. His life as a happy bachelor is torpedoed when he reluctantly accepts a puppy of indeterminable breed who names himself Tramp and seemingly never ever stops growing – personality included. Any principles for raising a dog are put to the test, and so is Simon’s state of mind when his sex-life is sabotaged, his sports car rendered useless, and Tramp is spending all of Simon’s money. And then there’s the women… quite a few of them, but one in particular. The angry one in the park who likes dogs and who wonders if Simon is a stripper because he flashes her his ass. But in reality, he looks like he’s just escaped from an asylum. And that’s just the beginning…
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Amazon.com Finds. AI-Generated.
The Ultimate Guide to Blood-Sucking Thrills for All Ages Vampire books have been captivating readers for centuries, blending horror, romance, and mystery in equal measure. From classic gothic tales to modern paranormal romances, there’s a vampire story for everyone—regardless of age or gender. To make your selection easier, here’s a comprehensive list of the 10 best vampire books available on Amazon, each offering a unique and mesmerizing take on the vampire myth.
By Mr. Hedareabout a year ago in BookClub
The Forbidden Door
There was only one rule: don’t open the door. The monk had lived in the ancient monastery for years, nestled deep in the mountains where fog clung to the trees like ghosts. His life was a solitary one—dedicated to prayer, meditation, and the careful copying of sacred texts. The temple was quiet, its stone walls thick with age, save for one thing that disturbed his peaceful routine.
By Bhism Raj Joshiabout a year ago in BookClub
The Handshake of Saudi Arabia
It was a grand event in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Dignitaries from around the world gathered in a majestic hall adorned with golden arches and towering pillars. The atmosphere was electric with conversations of power, strategy, and alliances. Among the notable figures was the enigmatic Nigerian president, General Sani Abacha, a man who held his nation under firm control, yet tonight, he appeared relaxed—perhaps even at ease. He exchanged pleasantries with kings, sheikhs, and military generals, his face stoic but his voice strong.
By fidel ntuiabout a year ago in BookClub
