Recommendation
Book Spotlight: Silverskin by Caitee Cooper
When Ellie Forth sets out to have a great Alaskan adventure with her remaining family members, she’s got something to prove—and not to them, but to herself. Four years after the unexpected death of her mother and sister, she’s ready to re-embrace her adventurous side. Oliver Cole’s life, on the other hand, is very simple: go to work, catch fish, come home, and stash every penny earned into his bank account so he can afford to pay for college. But his life is turned upside down when Ellie and her brother—two nearly-forgotten acquaintances from his childhood—burst back into his life. After a horrific encounter with the supernatural deep in the Kenai Peninsula, Ellie and Oliver must team up to discover the truth about what happened in Portlock, and how to fight a rising tide of evil that has the power to envelop not just Alaska, but the entire world. A stunning debut, Silverskin is a blend of fantasy, suspense, and the supernatural. With Hallmark-meets-Hitchcock vibes, the adventure and slow-burn romance in this book will keep you up turning pages well past your bedtime. It features strong female and male leads, low-spice friends-to-lovers romance, found family themes, and more.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Sea of Souls by N. C. Scrimgeour
Dark be the water, and darker still the creatures that lurk within… Isla Blackwood has never accepted the shackles of her family’s nobility. Instead, she sails the open waters, searching for belonging on the waves. But when tragedy forces Isla home, she realises she can no longer escape the duty she’s been running from. Selkie raiders plague the island’s coasts, and when they strike at Blackwood Estate, Isla has no choice but to flee with her hot-headed brother and their brooding swordmaster. To reclaim her home, Isla will have to set aside her grief and join forces with an exiled selkie searching for a lost pelt. The heirloom might be the key to stopping the raids—but only if they can steal it from the island’s most notorious selkie hunter, the Grand Admiral himself. Caught between a promise to the brother she abandoned and a friendship with the selkie who should have been her enemy, Isla soon realises the open seas aren’t the only treacherous waters she’ll need to navigate. As enemies close in, she must decide where her loyalties lie if she wants to save what’s left of her family—and find the belonging she’s been searching for.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Salt in the Wound by Benjamin Aeveryn
A post-apocalyptic fantasy with magic whisky, folkloric monsters, and bloodshed over a fortune in salt. Our world is lost to time. Only our myths remain. Once rain was a symbol of hope and harvest. Now it brings only death. Humanity survives in sheltered cities and canvas-covered towns. Travel between these patches of safety is rare and dangerous. It’s what Galahad lives for. But while seeking a lost cache of salt—a fortune he plans to use to build a shelter over his hometown—Galahad is betrayed by the friends he holds dearest. They leave him for dead. Unfortunately for them, he lives.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Poisoned Empire by Elyse Thomson
A poisoner. A prince. And a passion that could destroy an empire...or save it. Black-marketeer Selene has poison magic and the cynicism to match. When she and genius metals mage Iliana are arrested by the same scheming, noble fathers who tossed them out at birth, they suspect apologies won’t be forthcoming. Forced to either impersonate their half-sisters or die, the friends are stuffed into fancy dresses, packed off to the capital, and thrust into the perilous, glittering world of the imperial court. Traitors lurk in Prince Belisarius’ court, and only his loyal strategos Marduk is above suspicion. As noble-born villains siphon away the souls of their daughters to magnify their magic in secret, Belisarius plots to expose them all—by inviting every noblewoman in the empire to compete for his hand in marriage. But two infuriating imposters in attendance quickly become his bane. When the friends are discovered, they expect imprisonment—not a deal. Vast riches are on offer if Selene poses as fiancée to the handsome prince while Iliana simpers for the towering strategos—a ploy to lure traitorous enemies to the capital. Yet even as they help secure the throne, false affections flirt with real passions, and Selene and Iliana are convinced they’ll either lose their hearts… or their heads.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
Book Spotlight: Orphan Planet by Rex Burke
Book 1 in the 'Odyssey Earth' series – a feelgood SciFi space adventure With Earth in crisis, humans are travelling deep into space. But humanity’s future just took a wrong turn. A seventeen-year colony-ship voyage – a straight shot to a new planet. Handpicked, single-minded crew, and a thousand settlers in hypersleep. No children, no families, no fuss. That was the plan, anyway. Captain Juno Washington commands a ship of loners and oddballs. The teenagers of the Odyssey Earth didn’t ask to be born, and face an uncertain future. And Jordan Booth really didn’t want to be woken up early. After an unexpected change of course, relationships are tested like never before. If they listen to advice, pull together and stop squabbling, they might just make it. Yeah, right. Good luck with that.
By Marie Sinadjanabout a year ago in BookClub
When Women Were Dragons . Top Story - November 2024.
The author, Kelly Barnhill, created a rich and fascinating world that parallels America's history in many ways. I found the book relevant in this 2024 U.S. presidential election season, where misogyny and the continued desire to control women are prevalent. The populace in the novel bans the discussion of dragons and does their best to ignore the facts of any metamorphosis.
By Andrea Corwin about a year ago in BookClub
Unleash Your Inner Alpha: The Love Jungle: Confession of a reformed player!. AI-Generated.
Imagine stepping into a world where love is not a serene walk through a park but an adventurous trek through a wild jungle—an environment teeming with vibrant emotions, hidden agendas, and unpredictable twists. The Love Jungle: Confession of a Reformed Player! by Stanley Quoquillon is a captivating exploration of the complexities of love and relationships, viewed through the candid lens of a man who has lived on both sides of the romantic spectrum.
By Stanley Quoquillonabout a year ago in BookClub
A Love Story Born From Longing and Rediscovery. AI-Generated.
The genesis of this book stems from the initial three chapters. Without any idea of what the feedback would be, I shared it with a couple of friends. Each one of them was asking for the rest of the story. Some were violently against Julia’s action, few wanted to justify her behavior, but most wanted to know if he survived the encounter. So you, the readers, are really for a treat. This is the finished project.
By Stanley Quoquillonabout a year ago in BookClub
