Genre

Book Spotlight: The Sharp Edge of Fate by TF Johnson
“It’s your job. You kill who I tell you, when I tell you.” The Belladonna is a shadow; an assassin who leaves purple-black berries on the bodies of her victims. No one knows her name, or her face. Piper is desperate to keep it that way. When an assignment goes spectacularly wrong, Piper’s carefully separated lives begin to converge. Her target becomes a reluctant ally as they search for clues to the disappearances haunting the city of Silversdale; disappearances that include Piper’s close friend, and a member of the empire’s ruling family. With two children in her care and time running out before she is due to deliver on her contract, Piper will soon find she has only scratched the surface of a plot that threatens everything she holds dear.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Shadow Keepers by Marisa Noelle
Whatever you do, don’t look in the mirror… Sixteen year-old Georgia Boone knows the shadows are going to kill her. It’s only a matter of time. They live in mirrors and look like humanoid crows. And stare at her with hungry red eyes. The insidious monsters have hunted her all her life, forcing her to drop out of school and driving her to the brink of insanity. But how can she prove their existence when no one else sees them? She is alone. When Georgia is sent to the UK's most prestigious mental health centre, Brookwood Hospital, she is forced to face her fears and answer the question... Are the shadows real, or is it all in her head?
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Perpetual by Cindy Kehagiaras
Shelly is a disciplined, schedule-loving attorney whose has written an internationally beloved romance novel based on an affair she had in the 1990s, her early twenties, with sexy, nomadic, professional surfer, Jason Mattis, whom she only saw once a year for five years in a row. When Jason shows up to her book signing in 2019, she must come to terms with the fact that their chemistry is still as hot as it was thirty years ago. Before they can explore any rekindling, he gets a phone call that pulls Shelly into a part of his life that was previously unknown to her, involving an oil heiress, a Central American gangster and his menopausal wife, an antique crucifix, a group of women who are kindred spirits, and the undeniable attraction to Jason after all those years. The Perpetual will make you believe in second chances at love, female friendship bonds, untapped personal strength and feeling sexy at any age.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart by Mark Piggott
MAGUS… The Magus were the protectors of magic, armed with a magic caster’s power and the strength of a warrior. They were able to summon various magical weapons from specialized caches they wore as an armored pauldron known as an Armory of Attlain. They were legendary among the people of Attlain, until the Magus Rebellion. When a few Magus decided they should lead the people instead of protecting them, they rebelled; but the insurrection ended from within the Magus ranks. However, the rebellion already did the damage. The Magus were cast out, feared, and outlawed except for those few who remained loyal to the crown and lived as adventurers. For generations, they had all but disappeared from the landscape of Attlain. Marcus Gideon awoke at the crossroads outside the border town of Armändis. Lost, with no memory of his past life, he was left for dead by brigands… Stabbed through the heart. His life was saved by a blacksmith’s kindness who replaced his damaged heart with a mechanical, magical miracle—a clockwork heart. The gears turned, the motor spun, and his heart was beating again, powered by his magical energy. Gideon was alive, but his savior was no ordinary blacksmith. Henry Botàn was a Magus, hiding out in Armändis to protect the weapons within his magical armory. The swords, spears, and other-worldly artifacts were potent in their rights, some cursed and even forbidden to wield. His responsibility was to protect these weapons from falling into the wrong hands, but he was old and past his prime. He needed an apprentice, and Marcus Gideon may be the one he waited all these years. Now begins a new adventure, as Gideon searches for clues to his past, looking ahead toward his future in Attlain as THE LAST MAGUS.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Pretender by Katie Ward
France, 2000: Two babies are born on the same day just two hours apart - but to very different lives. Isabella is a Princess and heir to the French throne, while Sophia is born into a life of poverty and abuse. At the age of 18, Sophia runs away from home. That same night, Isabella is also fleeing from the burden of her royal life when she finds Sophia slumped at the Palace gates. Amazed by how alike they look, Isabella proposes a daring plot - to exchange their lives for one week. The Pretender is an emotionally intense and compelling story of friendship, love and the strange power of destiny.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Mountain of Souls by Marcus Lee
How far would you go, and what lines would you cross, simply to survive? Within the depths of the Mountain of Souls, an ancient sect raises orphans to become remorseless assassins. Abandoned by an empire ravaged by war, hundreds die during selection, leaving a determined, bloodied few, honed by training and enchantment, to emerge as The Chosen - an elite cohort tasked with delivering an ancient prophecy. Malina is one of those orphans. Cursed with yellow eyes and deathly pale skin, she is neither popular nor strong and appears certain to die on her first day, twisted and broken like so many before her. Fate, however, has other, far more sinister plans for Malina than a quick death. As the forces of darkness rise and the prophesied return of the Once and Future King draws near, Malina must be prepared to sacrifice her very soul to ensure both her survival and his ascension. But is it a price she is willing to pay?
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Half Killed by Quenby Olson
A dark apparition stalks the streets of Victorian London... Dorothea Hawes has no wish to renew contact with what lies beyond the veil. After an attempt to take her own life, she has retired into seclusion, but as the wounds on her body heal, she is drawn back into a world she wants nothing more than to avoid. She is sought out by Julian Chissick, a former man of God who wants her help in discovering who is behind the gruesome murder of a young woman. But the manner of death is all too familiar to Dorothea, and she begins to fear that something even more terrible is about to unleash itself on London. And so Dorothea risks her life and her sanity in order to save people who are oblivious to the threat that hovers over them. It is a task that forces her into a confrontation with her own lurid past, and tests her ability to shape events frighteningly beyond her control.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Fairy Wren by Ashley Capes
From the moment a fairy wren drops his lost wedding ring at his feet, Paul realises there's more magic to the world than he thought... When Paul Fischer receives a strange phone call asking for help, from a woman who might be his estranged wife Rachel, he's drawn into a mysterious search that threatens not only his struggling bookstore, but long-buried dreams too. Unfortunately, the only help comes from a shady best friend, an Italian runaway and a strange blue fairy wren that seems to be trying to tell him something - yet the further he follows the clues it leaves the less sense the world seems to make. Is he on the verge of a magical, beautiful discovery or at the point of total disaster?
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Exile of Zanzibar by Daniel Maidman
Claire built a device to fold space and time. It had a flaw... When the smoke clears, she finds herself halfway across the world, thousands of years in the past, and no device in sight. In bronze-age Florence, war has lasted for generations. All Claire wants to do is get home, but she’ll need help from the locals. She wins an ally in Marcus Diophantus, a pickpocket turned soldier turned general, who hopes to turn into something more than just her champion. Together, they broker peace between Florence and its enemy. If Marcus is going to help Claire, he’ll have to survive. Peace has upset the balance of power in the capital city. The king stands increasingly alone against: the Constantines, a commercial enterprise as much as a clan, who aim to profit from peace as they have from war – the warrior nobles, descended from the founders of Florence and quick to turn against a weak throne – and Reburrus, the high priest of Florence, convinced Claire answers to hostile foreign gods. As the city comes to a boil, Claire and Marcus – and Marcus’s formidable army – will have to decide where their allegiance lies. Claire becomes a reluctant participant in a savage campaign. While Marcus leads the battles, she tries to gain control of the unimaginably powerful Ctesiphôn – a ghost tower in the heart of Florence, shrouded in magic and myth.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Shakespeare vs. Dickens: Exploring Two Literary Legends
William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens are pillars of English literature, each leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and literary landscape. Though separated by centuries and writing in distinct genres, both authors captured the complexities of human experience in ways that have made their works timeless. Shakespeare’s eloquent verse continues to inspire, while Dickens’ vivid characters and sharp social critiques still resonate with modern readers. In this article, we will delve into the distinctive qualities of their writing, examining their impact on literature and the ways in which their works continue to shape our understanding of society and the human condition.
By Lawson Brooksabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Dame on the Dock by Louise Gorday
In 1922, private investigator Tatum “Shoe” Shoemaker—fresh off a sensational case and a Pulitzer Prize nomination—finds himself working in a bad section of Washington, D.C., and drowning in debt. So when a well-heeled solicitor offers a substantial retainer to solve the brutal murder of a wealthy industrialist’s daughter, he jumps at the chance. Against the advice of his girlfriend-cum-wise-cracking assistant, Shoe decides to risk potential retribution from elected officials and return to Nevis, Maryland—the bayside town that ran him out six months earlier for exposing corruption in government. But his hope of solving his new case is immediately imperiled when he learns archrival Rudy Becker has been retained on the same case. Clues pile up without connection as neither investigator fully trusts the other, and each withholds information vital to solving the case. Soon, both investigators find themselves prime suspects in the murder, and they must either learn to work together with complete trust, or one of them will certainly go down for the murder.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: The Bridesmaid's Brother by Olivia Lockhart
For Penny Archer, dating after forty has proved to be less ‘silver foxes and romantic dinners’, and more ‘last chance bargain bin’. She’s met every liar and cheater in the dating pool, and after one heartbreak too many, she is officially sworn off men. A strong, single mum, she doesn’t need a partner, and besides, the family planner is crammed with work commitments, school meetings, puppy classes, chores for her ageing parents and, of course, her beloved book club. Although a cuddle now and then wouldn’t go amiss… Penny jumps at the chance to let her hair down at a friend’s wedding, blissfully unaware that she’s about to crash into a stranger’s life in the most mortifying manner. Can something that begins in disaster ever end in happiness, or is it all too good to be true? Will Penny ever turn the pages of her own book towards that happy ever after? One wedding… One bouquet toss… The chance to change her story…
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub