The Little Russian by Susan Sherman

 The Great War in the early 20th century was devastating and filled with heartache and brutality.  Regardless, there are things to be thankful for.

Berta Lorkis is a young, Ukrainian Jewish woman who's many attributes are exposed in the changes she encounters in life.  Initially, her self-centered and greedy heart overtakes her life goals as she is brought up with luxury of every kind all around.

She expects to marry a man that can keep up with her demands, even after she returns home to help with the family grocery store.  She figures the hard labor is temporary.

Her attention to a handsome merchant, Hershel Alshonsky, is rewarded with marriage and children.  Hershel is absent for months at a time, presumably selling and buying wheat.  Berta accepts this as long as she can buy anything and socialize to her standards.

It's when her life in Little Russia turns to wondering what she can sell to keep up appearances and food on the table that a new attribute of her is realized.  Hershel comes home less and less.  Berta doesn't believe he's only conducting business.  She becomes frustrated with her life being peeled away one piece of furniture or art and one bite of food at a time.  

WWI is at her doorstep, but Hershel isn't.  With the realization that it's up to her to survive on less and less, she endures the horrors of war, loss and deprivation.  She doesn't know if Hershel is alive or dead, thinking of her and the children, or if he left for a better life.

Years of hardship and rumors that Hershel is alive and searching for her have a small space in her heart.  A space she does not give up on until she fulfills her search, replenishing love.

Happy reading,

Dawn

Vicious (Sinners of Saint Book 1) by L.J. Shen

 L. J. Shen must be a greatly talented writer.  A reader can love a character and hate a character, but how can they change your opinion in a few hours of intense reading?

Emilia is the woman I love in the story.  She is artistic, loves to paint, will do anything for family, and works her behind off.  Originally from California, she relocated to New York City under the threat that her parents would be fired from their job and kicked out of their apartment if she didn't evacuate what she knew as her only home.

The hateful character has an appropriate name, Vicious.  That's what he is, and it appears impossible to make this rotten, evil person into a likeable part of anyone's life.  He's the one who made the threat along with teasing and acting mean to Emilia when she was a kid. 

 

Vicious and his childhood friends build a billion dollar business and it happens that he sees Emilia at her cocktail waitress job and lures her to temporarily work for his business.  She accepts under obligations to her sisters health.  Why else would she endure his horrible nature again?

The ironic thing is, they both fight their growing attachment to the other.  What could be right with Vicious making his evil layers peel off one by one?  What sob story can he have that will actually explain his couple of decades of torment to a woman?  How can Emilia, whom I constantly root for, let Vicious back into her life? It's not his money or connections.  

This romance is a page-flipper, and I dare you to put it down as L. J. Shen untangles a messy relationship!

Happy reading,

Dawn

    

The Accidental Text by Becky Monson

 The only way to handle a difficult loss is to text them.  Even if they are dead.

Maggie's mom passed after a hard battle of cancer in the heat of Phoenix.  Maggie resorted to texting her mom's phone, making sure no one else touched the phone and found her out, to keep the connection alive.

Maggie's brother, sister, and father work together at the family's car-wrapping business.  Plenty people around for Maggie to talk to, but she requested that her dad kept her mom's phone line paid for for a little while.

Well, the number was paid for and a mysterious recipient reads the texts and finally answers.

How ironic, but Chase just lost his mom, too.  

An interchange of texting and a couple innocent meet-ups, brings two sad and lonely hearts together.  Granted, it can't be perfect because that only happens in the movies.  What would the family think of how they met?  Do they need each other for more than just consolation?  

A cute and simple story , which doesn't go deep into personalities or plot.  If you're in for an easy, peaceful read, this story will fill the glass.

Happy reading,

Dawn

  

It's November!

        Oh my gosh! It’s November! And it seems that autumn has finally hit Arizona (it’s hard to tell in Phoenix. The leaves don’t change here….I do miss that….growing up in New Jersey, seeing the leaves change was the highlight of the season…but I digress).

           

        This is my favorite time of year. I’m just curious how it got to be November without me noticing until just now. Yes, I changed my calendar on the first. Yes, I’ve noticed sunrise is a little later in the morning and sunset is a little earlier in the evening. I saw the trick-or-treaters for Halloween and I’ve noticed a definite chill in the air, especially in the mornings (believe me, I so look forward to this time of year, especially after the heat of the summer!).      

         

        Time just seems to have snuck up on me.  I have not made out my menu for Thanksgiving dinner or made out my shopping list. Those who know me are probably shocked by this admission as I usually have both tasks done in September and have already started purchasing items during my weekly shopping trip to the grocery store. Today is the 6^th and I haven’t done that yet. I know!

            Other than being a little behind in my tasks, this year is a little different for me as my son and his girlfriend will not be making the trip to join us. That’s all right. This is still my favorite time of year. I will bake and cook and clean. And, once again, I realize how much I have to be thankful for.

            And I am a very fortunate woman! I have family and friends whom I adore. I have my health. I have a home that’s warm and comfortable. I have a job I love and I am able to write books that make me, and hopefully others, happy. Oh, and let’s not forget all the stories that I have yet to read.

            What are some of the things you’ll be giving thanks for this Thanksgiving?

As always, happy reading and happy!

Marie