LOSING MY BREATH
Genre: Romance
IR Verdict: J. Rose Black’s LOSING MY BREATH offers engaging characters, a touching love story, and playful humor that help it transcend romance-novel stereotypes and become a welcome and heartfelt addition to the genre.
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THE SOUL OF CHAOS
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: Gregory Wunderlin’s THE SOUL OF CHAOS is a double-edged sword of sci-fantasy. Rich with lore and potential, this genre-busting epic has high aspirations.
THE LUPUS DIARIES
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: Part memoir, part self-help, Lillian Smith’s extraordinary book THE LUPUS DIARIES: My Life With Chronic Illness is full of poignant moments and helpful advice.
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TALES OF WHISKEY TANGO FROM MISERY TOWERS
Genres: Humor
IR Verdict: James Aylott’s TALES OF WHISKEY TANGO FROM MISERY TOWERS, a Carl Hiaasen-style novel, is a masterful blend of comic and tragic.
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THE EBON KNIGHT
Genres: Fantasy
IR Verdict: James Wood’s THE EBON KNIGHT is a captivating dark fantasy with palpable tension, elements of horror, and a sweet (if stock) forbidden romance.
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TRUE GRACE
Genre: Historical Fiction
IR Verdict: Through a story that is as heartrending as it is gripping and inspiring, Karen E. Osborne’s TRUE GRACE explores racial divides and the injustice to which many women were (and still are) subjected.
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STILL MOVING
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: A poetic memoir, STILL MOVING documents Skyeris’s struggles with Long Covid, tackling the difficult subjects of disability, ideation, and depression with sensitivity and grace. It provides valuable insight on how to support loved ones suffering from all kinds of chronic illnesses.
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TANGLED VERDICT
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: Katherine Smith Dedrick brings more than just legal proceedings to TANGLED VERDICT. She creates an engaging and captivating novella that encompasses all the elements of a good action-thriller within its limited pages: suspense, tension, murder-mystery, scandal, and intrigue.
THE KIMONI LEGACY: Initiation
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: Rich, complex, and exciting, Omari Richards’s debut novel, THE KIMONI LEGACY: Initiation, will please any reader looking for fresh takes on medieval African fantasy with threads of a political thriller and elements of horror.
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THE DEMON-DOSA DARE
Genre: Children’s (Early to intermediate readers)
IR Verdict: Packed with yummy details and deliciously vivid illustrations, THE DEMON-DOSA DARE by Deven Jatkar is laugh-out-loud funny and provides a fascinating look into Indian cuisine and Hindu mythology while demonstrating the harm of negative emotions.
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ACCUSTOMED TO THE DARK
Genre: Literary Fiction
IR Verdict: Thomas DeConna’s ACCUSTOMED TO THE DARK is an engaging story-within-a-story that examines a cross-section of families in the 1963 American suburbs and serves as a well-crafted allegory for America’s changing values.
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PROVIDENCE
Genre: Literary Fiction
IR Verdict: Author David Grosz beautifully crafts language, characters, and storytelling in this haunting novel about friendship, loss, and the changing nature of the wheel of fortune in PROVIDENCE.
IN THE TIME OF THE FLASH
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: A thoroughly modern addition to W.G. Hladky’s dystopian series, IN THE TIME OF THE FLASH presents an intriguing puzzle piece for long-time readers and a stand-alone action blockbuster for newcomers.
SWITCHING TRACKS: Out of the Trash
Genre: Dystopian
IR Verdict: Lena Gibson’s SWITCHING TRACKS: Out of the Trash is a gripping opening to a new book series that breathes new life into many of the tired tropes of similar genre titles.
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A BARGAIN WITH DARKNESS
Genre: Fantasy
IR Verdict: A riveting, taut sequel—Peter Eliott’s A BARGAIN WITH DARKNESS delivers pulse-pounding suspense and a winding, clever story as treacherous as the bleak back alleys of Hell’s Labyrinth.
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DON’T PUSH ME
Genre: LGBTQ+
IR Verdict: A stirring examination of grief, internalized shame, trauma, and the echoes of hope through generations, DON’T PUSH ME by Michael Hartwig is a necessary and ultimately uplifting gay romance.
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THE STATES
Genre: Women’s Fiction
IR Verdict: Norah Woodsey’s THE STATES is a clever answer to the question, “What if Anne Elliot had a modern woman’s options—social, financial, and technological?” It also does its best to explore both the potential empowerment and potential traps of such a situation while maintaining the tender intensity of the love story at its heart.
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