FISHERMEN’S COURT by Andrew Wolfendon
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: FISHERMEN’S COURT is a well-plotted, tightly organized mystery that will successfully keep readers guessing until the very end.
Read the full review here.
THEY ARE ONLY MEN
Genre: Paranormal
IR Verdict: THEY ARE ONLY MEN is a thriller so packed with atmosphere that readers are likely to feel alone, baked by the desert sun, and pursued by their own ghosts as much as the characters themselves. Before reading, put on sunscreen, good hiking boots, and burrow into a secure nook.
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*IRDA Winner
AMSTERDAM EXPOSED
Genres: Memoir, Travel
IR Verdict: David Wienir’s AMSTERDAM EXPOSED is not only a dictionary definition of meta-literature, it is also a warm, humorous and heartfelt tribute to the city of Amsterdam.
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*IRDA Winner
LONDON, CAN YOU WAIT?
Genres: Romance, Women’s Fiction
IR Verdict: Enthralling from the very first page, LONDON, CAN YOU WAIT? brims with originality and is a delightfully engaging, modern romance that sparkles with wit and charm.
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*IRDA Winner
AFTER THE FALL
Genre: LGBTQ
IR Verdict: AFTER THE FALL by Brad Graber is a fast-paced and moving novel about family, memory, and love that will appeal to all readers who appreciate good storytelling and, especially, well-drawn characters.
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*IRDA Winner
CITY IN A FOREST
Genre: Literary Fiction
IR Verdict: Ginger Pinholster, a master of significant detail, weaves her struggling character’s pasts, present, and futures into a breathtaking, beautiful novel in CITY IN A FOREST.
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THE PURPLE WORLD
Genre: Healthcare/Medicine
IR Verdict: In THE PURPLE WORLD, Dr. Joseph Q. Jarvis gives readers a factual, comprehensive and well-written look at this very serious issue, not only telling what’s wrong with US healthcare, but giving information on how to make the system work. A worthwhile read for every US citizen.
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HOW TO WASH A CHICKEN: Mastering the Business Presentation Tim Calkins*
Genre: Business
IR Verdict: A needed book on an important topic, HOW TO WASH A CHICKEN: Mastering the Business Presentation, is sure to give even seasoned presenters some ideas to sharpen their next performance.
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*IRDA Winner
WHEN THE HABOOB SINGS
Genre: Literary Fiction
IR Verdict: Told with dark humor and wit, WHEN THE HABOOB SINGS is a timely literary tale about gender inequality and the power of singing your truth aloud.
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FROST HEAVES
Genre: Short Stories
IR Verdict: The whole is greater than the parts in T Stores’ FROST HEAVES. Each finely constructed tale is a well-pieced block, fit together cleverly with the others to form a big picture of a small place, more than worthy of visiting.
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*IRDA Winner
BREAKING BONDS: How to Divorce an Abuser and Heal
Genres: Self-Help, Women’s Studies
IR Verdict: Transforming the pain of her own abusive marriage into a guide to help others do the same, Rosemary Lombardy has crafted in BREAKING BONDS a must-read for any woman suffering through and longing to escape from that abuse.
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*IRDA Winner
DAISY IN THE DOGHOUSE
Genre: Humor
IR Verdict: Joe Barrett’s DAISY IN THE DOGHOUSE is serious about America’s social ills, yet it wraps its message in a dark, yet witty send-up of the digital age.
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CHASING A FLAWED SUN
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: Daniel McGhee captures his life of drug abuse, homelessness, violence and death in CHASING A FLAWED SUN, a no-holes barred memoir that is both raw and riveting.
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INCOMPATIBLE WITH NATURE
Genre: Parenting
IR Verdict: Tracie Frank Mayer’s INCOMPATIBLE WITH NATURE is simultaneously a well-told tearjerker and heart warmer, full of poignancy and passion that will have readers crying, laughing, and celebrating all at the same time.
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*IRDA Winner
LONE STAR ODYSSEY: First Steps
Genre: Action/Adventure
IR Verdict: LONE STAR ODYSSEY: First Steps is an absorbing epic that combines the best elements of a political thriller and survival story in a way that feels both fresh and exciting.
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NONDISCLOSURE: A Medical Thriller
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: NONDISCLOSURE: A Medical Thriller is an intriguing and meticulously plotted medical thriller that involves the inner workings at a top research university where scandal threatens to taint its important new discovery.
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UNSEEN TERROR
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: Thorn Osgood’s science fiction mystery is brought to life by detailed world-building and character development as realistic aliens and complex humans struggle with clashing cultures and blended families.
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WHAT WE DO FOR LOVE
Genres: Women’s Fiction, Popular Fiction, Chick-Lit
IR Verdict: WHAT WE DO FOR LOVE is a well-written and heartfelt story that will captivate readers with its compelling characters and jaw-dropping plot twist.
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AWAKENINGS
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: AWAKENINGS unleashes a taut thrill ride with a plausible plot brought to life with great writing by author Shela Oaks Burdge.
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JACK OF THORNS
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: Author AK Faulkner thrusts together two deliciously flawed main characters (a former heroin addict and a mysterious member of British nobility), then weaves an empowering plot of destiny, inheritance, and self-improvement—all while letting the reader languor in the glow of a glorious slow burn romance.
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YES YOU CAN: It All Starts With You
Genre: Self Help
IR Verdict: Part autobiography, part personal growth/inspiration/self-help/business book, YES YOU CAN: It All Starts With You! reads like a friendly and instructional conversation over coffee with the author.
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A THIN PLACE
Genre: Young Adult
IR Verdict: David Weiskircher’s depiction of the complex relationships that make up a family and the process of a young man growing into adulthood makes A THIN PLACE an insightful read for a mature teenage reader or an adult looking to relive a slice of their formative teenage years .
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THE DREAM DEFENDERS
Genres: Action/Adventure, Young Adult
IR Verdict: A wild, imaginative adventure told with creativity and heart, THE DREAM DEFENDERS will captivate readers both young and old.
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THRESHOLD DELIVERY
Genre: Poetry
IR Verdict: Patty Seyburn’s THRESHOLD DELIVERY poems engage, seduce, and invite, creating what feels like an experiential read that beckons all the senses. It’s a book that won’t stay on the shelf, but will be read, re-read, and re-experienced, with new discoveries each time.
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FATHER CARDOSO’S MANUSCRIPT
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: Samuel Miles Morley’s second Lou Smithers mystery is an enjoyable, vintage detective story. While impacted by an awkward prose style, overall, this is a solid, steady, tale with memorable characters and well-visualized moments that seem to have dropped right out of a silent movie.
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JUST ANOTHER GIRL ON THE ROAD
Genre: Historical Fiction
IR Verdict: A deep, evocative read which examines perhaps the most commonly-explored area of modern history, JUST ANOTHER GIRL ON THE ROAD still manages to provide a fresh, colorful perspective, exploring the darkness and the, oddly, the light of World War II and its aftermath.
Read the full review here.