SONS AND FATHERS
By Chris Kassel
Genre: Action/Adventure
IR Verdict: The deceptively rough and rugged start of Chris Kassel’s SONS AND FATHERS: SOUL AND SHADOW gives way to a deep, convoluted, and emotional journey, as one man comes to terms with his family, his past, and his heritage.
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SHADES OF INFLUENCE
By Paul Cade
Genre: Memoir
IR Verdict: Paul Cade’s memoir SHADES OF INFLUENCE has warmth, wit, and a message aspiring artists need to hear: Never give up.
MY SOUTHERN TABLE
By Lana Taylor Stuart
Genre: Food & Cooking
IR Verdict: Written by Lana Taylor Stuart with a heart full of butter and a soul marinated in Georgia charm, MY SOUTHERN TABLE isn’t just a recipe book but an invitation to share a slice of home.
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TITAN’S TEARS
By Chad Lester
Genres: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: Chad Lester’s TITAN’S TEARS is an intelligent and entertaining sci-fi thriller that grips the reader from the first page. Cleverly plotted, it has some well-disguised twists as the story gathers pace and lands a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.
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FOG & FIREFLIES
By T.H. Lehnen
Genres: Fantasy
IR Verdict: Well-imagined and confidently told, T.H. Lehnen’s FOG & FIREFLIES is thoughtful and engaging enough to please both mature YA readers and adults alike.
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JOURNEY TO THE DARK GALAXY
By Hannah D. State
Genre: Young Adult
IR Verdict: Hannah D. State’s JOURNEY TO THE DARK GALAXY is a well-constructed YA space saga that manages to keep the reader engaged, even through its more leisurely passages. Full of precision-built worlds and populated by numerous memorable characters, the book is a rewarding, thought-provoking read.
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THE HUMAN DISPERSAL PROJECT
By Adam James Chouinard
Genre: Science Fiction
IR Verdict: Pleasantly complex and filled with heart, Adam James Chouinard’s THE HUMAN DISPERSAL PROJECT melds exuberant sci-fi storytelling with a compelling existential mystery.
EMIGRANT TALES OF THE PLATTE RIVER RAIDS
By Janelle Molony
Genre: History
IR Verdict: EMIGRANT TALES OF THE PLATTE RIVER RAIDS sees author Janelle Molony compile a thorough, blow-by-blow account of a largely forgotten aspect of nineteenth-century trail history.
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SHITAMACHI SCAM
By Michael Pronko
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
IR Verdict: Author Michael Pronko is a master craftsman, painting a fascinating portrait of a city and its underbelly through engaging characters and depictions of crime that are more gray than black-and-white in SHITAMACHI SCAM.
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THE HAPPIEST PRESCHOOL
By Martha Heineman Pieper, Ph.D., Kelly Perez
Genre: Education
IR Verdict: Martha Heineman Pieper and Kelly Perez provide useful guidance in THE HAPPIEST PRESCHOOL, which values making a connection with preschool students and developing their social skills over focusing on exam scores.
GIVE US BAD BOYS & BILLIONAIRES
By L.M. Mountford
Genre: Romance
IR Verdict: L.M. Mountford’s GIVE US BAD BOYS & BILLIONAIRES is a highly charged, erotically intense collection of short stories designed to appeal to a wide variety of sexual tastes.