The Other Wives Club is a novel by Shari Low. It follows an unusual vacation where Drew Gold decides to celebrate his 50th birthday by taking his entire family on vacation. He brings his children, his wife, his grandchildren – and his two ex-wives. Amy’s Rating: 3/5 I can’t resist bizarre human interactions. When I read the premise I was instantly intrigued, not only to see how the whole vacation would go, but also to see why the ex-wives were invited and why they were exes to begin with. There was a lot to like about this book, including readability and several of the main charac ..read more

The Mannamong Volume 1 is a graphic novel with beautiful illustrations about a character named Kali. When Kali discovers a problem with a mannamong named Tontorus. A mannamong is like an elemental spirit. When Kali gets sick, her mother carves her a necklace that sends her to Mother Nature’s Garden. Geisnes, Mother Nature’s daughter, discovers Tontorus is inside Kali making her ill. With this new information, and Geisnes’ help, Tontorus is expelled from Kali and the adventure begins. You can’t help but follow Kali on this epic, “Spirited Away” type adventure. Marissa’s Review ..read more

Terrestrial Magic Terrestrial Magic is the first in the Jordan Sanders series, and it’s a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy set in Italy. Jordan’s a young woman who studies “legimals” or legendary animals, creatures from myths that have over-run the world with dangerous consequences. As Jordan’s team hunts down a chimera, she uncovers a conspiracy against not only her team, but all human cities. Sara’s Rating: 3/5 I really enjoyed the premise of Terrestrial Magic–it has all my favorite hallmarks of urban fantasy, with a bit of survival action thrown in. The lack of romance was refr ..read more

This adorable book chronicles the adoption of a hedgehog, Artie, from his point of view. It reads like his journal giving insights to exactly how he feels from the moment his brother Spike is adopted before him to when he has his first bath. (Spoiler Alert: He did not enjoy it). Marissa’s Rating 3/5 Stars My boys really enjoyed this book and since we’re in the process of moving it was a good introduction to the concept change for them (ages 6 and 8). (Video review from the boys coming soon!) My biggest issue with the book was the length. When I received it I thought it was a simpl ..read more

My Perfect Ex-Boyfriend is book one of the Perfect Guy series by Annabelle Costa. It follows divorcee and single mother Bailey as she embarks on a vacation with her dad, his new fiancee, and the fiancee’s son – who happens to be Bailey’s ex-boyfriend. Amy’s Rating: 4/5 As soon as I heard the title of this book, I knew I had to read it. We all have the tendency to romanticize some part of our past in one way or another, and I’m a sucker for anything that openly admits this is what it’s doing. At the very worst, even if the boyfriend was objectively perfect and not romanticized at all ..read more

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Buddha offers “worldlings,” “householders” and Buddhists a fun, lighthearted, yet well-researched take on misquotes from the Buddha and beyond.   Bonny’s Review 4/5 Stars I loved this book, the premise, and the delivery. The title? Sheer perfection. I wish I’d named my book something equally apt.    The author starts gently, with humor, understanding that their readers likely need support and guidance in this whole misquoting thing. I mean, we’ve all likely shared some of these ill-attributed quotes on social media, right? The author admits they have, too ..read more

Synopsis Earik Beann tells this true tale as one of the nine neighbors saved their neighborhood from the deadly and incredibly destructive California wildfires of 2017. As the Pointe Patrol hunted down potentially dangerous embers and put out fires they were also plagued by looters. The story focuses on Viewpointe Circle. A small neighborhood within the Santa Rosa mandatory evacuation zone. Earik Chronicles their experiences with fires, looters, and a few run-ins with local law enforcement. My Review 3/5 Stars I’m not sure what surprised me more about this story, the fact ..read more

The Hands We’re Given Aidan is barely out of command school when he’s sent to command the Wildcards–a base with the highest insubordination record, as well as the highest mission success rate. When he arrives, however, he finds a ragtag group of misfits struggling to handle the death of their dear friend, Commander Taylor. Aidan struggles to take over for a larger-than-life Taylor, keep the base functioning, and keep his deepest secret–that he’s a trans-man. Add a crush on his mercurial logistics officer, Kevin, and Aidan might not stand a chance. Sara’s Rating: 5/5 Wow. I stumb ..read more

Unexpecting by Holly Kerr is a novel that follows Casey Samms as she races to have a baby before she turns 37, thanks to the outdated advice of Dr. Francine Pascal Reed, the author of a parenting book published in the 40s. Unfortunately, Casey’s choice in men makes the task difficult, and pretty soon she finds herself in a position she never expected. Amy’s Rating: 4/5 Stars As soon as I saw this cover, I was charmed. As someone who has always wanted children myself, I found it charming to read about a heroine who, despite the fact that she is grown-up, independent, and modern, has her sights ..read more

Running Down a Dream: Your Road Map to Winning Creative Battles Running Down a Dream is exactly what the subtitle suggests, a roadmap. Tim begins this epic tale of creativity and triumph pretty close to rock bottom. Literally, crying on the toilet with a mortgage payment he didn’t know how he was going to make and a family depending on him. Then he backs up to when he decided to start his own company and shows us how he dug himself into the pit of despair and what he did to get back out, reach his goals, and save his marriage. My rating and review 5/5 Stars I don’t like giving out five-star r ..read more