Kindle First

[Manabi]

This month's Kindle First selections are out, they are:

Infinity Lost (The Infinity Trilogy Book 1) by S. Harrison [Genre: Science-Fiction Thriller]

In the near future, one corporation, Blackstone Technologies, has changed the world: no disasters, no poverty, and life-altering technology. Blackstone has the impunity to destroy—or create—as it sees fit.

Infinity “Finn” Blackstone is the seventeen-year-old daughter of Blackstone’s reclusive CEO—but she’s never even met him. When disturbing dreams about a past she doesn’t remember begin to torment her, Finn knows there’s only one person who can provide answers: her father.

After Finn and an elite group of peers are invited to Blackstone’s top-secret HQ, Finn realizes she may have a chance to confront her father. But when a highly sophisticated company AI morphs into a killing machine, the trip descends into chaos. Trapped inside shape-shifting walls, Finn and her friends are at the mercy of an all-seeing intelligence that will destroy everything to get to her.

With no hope of help, Finn’s dream-memories may be the only chance of survival. But will she remember in time to save her own life and the lives of those around her?

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

One of the reasons I so admire debut author S. Harrison’s Infinity Lost is that it’s great science fiction. The reason I love the book, however, is that it’s also a fantastically thrilling tale full of adventure and just the right number of explosions. Great science fiction—like Star Trek, which imagined automatic sliding doors, and Snow Crash, which showed the possibilities of a virtual reality universe—helps us envision the world we are on the cusp of living in.

And that’s what Infinity Lost does—its near-future setting is both eerily familiar and alluringly different from our present reality. The novel is told from the perspective of seventeen-year-old Infinity “Finn” Blackstone as she and a group of her peers gain access to the highly secretive headquarters of the world’s most powerful technology company. What initially appears to be the soul-searching of one young woman on the verge of adulthood quickly reveals itself to be something much more complex and sinister. The story gently eases you into the futuristic atmosphere even as the plot rapidly escalates around the nature of Finn’s identity. The stakes don’t get much higher than trying to sort out who you are while simultaneously attempting to escape a nearly omnipotent artificial intelligence that really seems to hate you.

In some ways, Infinity Lost reminds me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but instead of Oompa Loompas, the “factory” is filled with armored robots controlled by an AI with murderous intent and a treasure trove of menacing tools that would make Q, James Bond’s gadget wizard, jealous. The futuristic elements coalesce into an exhilarating story that makes me wonder about just what sort of future awaits us. As for Finn and her fate, I’m eagerly awaiting the continuation of her story in Infinity Rises, out in January 2016.

- Courtney Miller, Editor

The Mentor by Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli [Genre: Mystery]

As Scotland Yard chief forensics detective Eric Shaw works a case with some resemblance to a crime he investigated twenty years earlier, he is convinced it is just a coincidence. But when more deaths occur in a style similar to those killings from the past, Shaw suspects that he has a serial killer on his hands—one who is pursuing a personal, cold-blooded vendetta.

Working closely with his protégée, Detective Miriam Leroux, Shaw analyzes the crimes down to the finest detail. He finds himself increasingly drawn to the lab, where criminologist Adele Pennington, a beautiful, enigmatic woman more than two decades his junior, proves distracting. Determined to maintain his professionalism despite the attraction, Shaw struggles to keep her at arm’s length. Yet Pennington’s unique insight proves critical, and as the investigation develops, so does their personal connection. With a killer on the loose, Shaw must follow a winding, blood-soaked trail that will take him in an unexpected and terrifying direction.

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

The Mentor raised my blood pressure. Was it the emotionally charged beginning that started the spike? I was in turmoil, reading frantically and feeling as vulnerable as the characters on the page. As the story unfolded, a paranoid feeling grew inside me that made me question the characters’ every motive. Everyone is a potential suspect.

The book opens with a valiant police officer—Eric Shaw of Scotland Yard—coming to the rescue as a young girl realizes the gruesome murder of her family was not just a dream. Eric’s strong presence and calm voice immediately assure her that she is safe now, she can come out from under the bed, he can help her.

Twenty years later we meet an older, more established Eric leading Scotland Yard’s forensics department and see that our trust in him was well placed. He is assisted by a promising (and beautiful) young protégé who tries to lure him out of his comfort zone. There is no greater compliment than “I look up to you,” but how close is too close? In this line of work, Eric knows not to get his emotions involved. And can he afford distractions when a killer is on the loose?

If the twists and turns torment you and drive you to increasingly paranoid thoughts, remember: it’s only fiction.

- Gabriella Page-Fort, Editor

The Concealed (The Lakewood Series Book 1) by Sarah Kleck (Author), Michael Osmann (Translator), Audrey Deyman (Translator) [Genre: Romantic Fantasy]

After her parents died in a car accident when she was just a child, Evelyn Lakewood was left alone in the world. Now grown up, she enrolls at Oxford University, where she begins to create a new, stable life.

But when she encounters Jared Calmburry, who she later discovers is an orphan with his own tragic history, the equilibrium she was striving for is thrown off. Instantly drawn to this mysterious stranger with the incredible blue eyes, and confounded by the unusual events that occur whenever they meet, Evelyn resolves to investigate further. What she finds will startle her beyond measure: an ancient legacy of magic, a centuries-old secret society, and a foreboding legend with her and Jared at its center. As she follows a cryptic trail, Evelyn will discover clues to her own painful past, answers she hadn’t even been looking for—and a passionate love she cannot resist despite the dangers it brings.

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

“They say time heals all wounds. I am still waiting…” From the opening lines of Sarah Kleck’s romantic fantasy, I found myself so completely immersed in our heroine Evelyn’s plight that I pushed aside other plans—no laundry, dinner, or favorite TV show. I sensed that something more than coincidence lay behind the mysterious death of Evelyn’s parents years before and the recent—seemingly random—murder of her sister. But this is no crime story. The Concealed is a fantastical love story of truly mythic proportions.

The pages flew by as I followed Evelyn to Oxford, where she experiences love at first sight when she encounters the enigmatic, intense Jared. My incredulity at learning the truth about Evelyn’s family and her legacy mirrored her own. What initially seemed to be a story of tortured attraction quickly proved to be both darker and more epic. My laundry remained unwashed.

The Concealed is a tale of a journey toward self-discovery and a quest for truth, rich with mysterious and secretive characters, shocking revelations, and menacing supernatural forces that grow more threatening as the story unfolds.

The final pages left me eager for the second book, The Revealed, in which we learn the fate of Jared, Evelyn, and the secrets that inextricably bind them. Their quest to remain united is nothing short of a battle of good versus evil. Luckily, I don’t have too long to wait because The Revealed releases in November 2016.

A final note: an earlier version of The Concealed was briefly published by the author. We’re proud to present the fully edited and reworked version.

- Elizabeth DeNoma, Editor

Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagán [Genre: Contemporary Fiction]

Libby Miller has always been an unwavering optimist—but when her husband drops a bomb on their marriage the same day a doctor delivers devastating news, she realizes her rose-colored glasses have actually been blinding her.

With nothing left to lose, she abandons her life in Chicago for the clear waters and bright beaches of the Caribbean for what might be her last hurrah. Despite her new sunny locale, her plans go awry when she finds that she can’t quite outrun the past or bring herself to face an unknowable future. Every day of tropical bliss may be an invitation to disaster, but with her twin brother on her trail and a new relationship on the horizon, Libby is determined to forget about fate. Will she risk it all to live—and love—a little longer?

From critically acclaimed author Camille Pagán comes a hilarious and hopeful story about a woman choosing between a “perfect” life and actually living.

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

What if the worst thing that ever happened to you was also the best? That’s the question that Camille Pagán poses in her extraordinarily entertaining new novel, and after finishing it, I wanted to ask myself that question over and over again. Reading the novel was so enjoyable—like having a best friend sit on the couch with me, drinking a glass of wine and discussing life’s problems, laughing and crying the whole time. The experience changed me.

Our protagonist, Libby Miller, receives a double dose of bad news, and her seemingly perfect world is upended. Usually sunny and unflappable, she reacts in a distinctly un-Libby way: she decides to change everything that has embodied her life up until that moment. A “last-chance” trip to the Caribbean ensues, where she discovers things about herself and the world that she never imagined.

Pagán has written the kind of story you think about long after turning the last page, recommend to friends, and post about online. It is a frank, funny, and tear-inducing examination of this beautiful mess called life.

- Danielle Marshall, Editor

This is the Night by Jonah C. Sirott [Genre: Literary Fiction]

In a world at war, four youths try to determine what’s really worth fighting for.

For more than twenty years, the Homeland has been immersed in a brutal, unwinnable war. Young men are drafted and sent to fight in a faraway jungle. Those who come back are scarred in body and mind. Lance, two weeks shy of turning eighteen, has watched his older brothers leave and his mother fall apart when they fail to return. He’s never imagined a different future for himself—until he meets an idealistic young woman named Lorrie and impulsively flees town with her.

In Western City North, on the edge of the Homeland, Lance and Lorrie move into the same building as Benny and Joe, two friends up for induction. Along with Alan, a young runaway, they frantically evade Registry agents intent on tracking down draft dodgers. With induction day looming and paranoia rampant, the only way for any of them to stay free is to uncover the truth about their uncertain world—and the forces seeking to control it. Jonah C. Sirott’s breathtaking debut is about hope, survival, and the challenge of pushing past the limits our world draws around us.

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

From the first lines of This Is the Night, I knew the writer had it. He had that rare innate writing skill that kept me reading. By the second chapter, I fluffed my pillows and prepared to stay up all night reading this genre-bending literary novel.

I need effortless writing and clear-as-day characters in my books. I look for writing that cuts right to the bone and language as precise as poetry. Jonah C. Sirott’s mesmerizing storytelling allowed me to imagine a country at war for twenty-five years, a place where everyone is painfully aware that time is ticking, because at age eighteen all men must report for duty. In This Is the Night, fighting is a way of life, and most people have long forgotten to question it. At the center of the novel is a love story between a young female war protester and a draft dodger who discovers that his fight against the regime has far greater consequences than he imagined.

The best speculative tales are gripping because they portray a parallel universe where life has gone awry. Human emotions and relationships are the same, but the rules of society are terribly twisted. That’s what I loved about this novel. Jonah’s memorable characters and their intricate, layered relationships are ultimately what drive this breathtaking novel to its fantastic, climactic ending.

- Carmen Johnson, Editor

Here & There by Joshua V. Scher [Genre: Experimental Fiction]

It was supposed to be a simple proof of concept. The physics were sound. Over one hundred teleportation experiments had already been successfully performed...

Debate rages over whether the Reidier Test’s disastrous outcome resulted from human error, government conspiracy, or sabotage. No one has actual knowledge of the truth. But hidden from the public eye, there exists a government report commissioned from criminal psychologist Dr. Hilary Kahn, chronicling the events that took place.

Dr. Kahn disappeared without a trace.

Now her son Danny has unearthed and revealed the report, fueling controversy over the details of Reidier’s quest to reforge the fabric of reality and hold his family together. Exposed with little chance of finding his mother, Danny goes underground to investigate. But nothing can prepare him for what he discovers.

In this thrilling saga, a paradigm-shattering feat may alter humanity’s future as quantum entanglement and teleportation collide.

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

Every so often, I read a novel that can best be described with one word that encompasses all I’ve come to love about stories that reimagine the world: beautiful. I am amazed at the amount of research, time, and structural layers that went into making Here & There what it is. And what it all amounts to is a truly beautiful book.

Debut author Joshua V. Scher’s ambitious, innovative writing style is perfectly suited to a story told through different characters’ eyes. Joshua goes one step further, however, and employs unconventional “voices” too: buried government documents, hidden diary entries, newspaper articles, science-experiment transcripts, and personal interviews. Through the novel’s interplay of voice and text, by the end, I was left wondering what was fact and what was fiction.

Here & There’s narrators—Danny and his mother, Dr. Hilary Kahn, who both have their own agendas—weave an account of the brilliant physicist Kerek Reidier, who boldly goes where no one has gone before. His tale is one of science, conspiracies, secrets, and above all, his obsessive love for his wife. And like the characters themselves, in reading this book, I was faced with what it means to be me—whether that part of my existence that makes me truly distinct can be taken apart and put back together again without changing who I am.

In that way, Here & There is a beautifully imagined Frankenstein for the modern age, and the results can be truly monstrous. Prepare to be thoroughly creeped out.

- Adrienne Lombardo, Editor

[Crowl]

Slight difference for uk readers, instead of the scifi thriller it is:

Thriller:
Gone to Sea in a Bucket:
by David Black;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/r...SIN=B00W4JVJGE


Sigh, at the pretentious attempt by Joshua V Scher to avoid calling his book scifi.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by Crowl

Slight difference for uk readers, instead of the scifi thriller it is:

Thriller:
Gone to Sea in a Bucket:
by David Black;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/r...SIN=B00W4JVJGE


Sigh, at the pretentious attempt by Joshua V Scher to avoid calling his book scifi.

Thanks for the info on the UK differences

Yeah, that's weird. It's back-firing too, as I'm left wondering if I want to get it or not. If it was simply called science fiction I'd grab it over Infinity Lost without hesitation. But calling it experimental fiction makes me wonder if it'll be hard to read, and so now I'm torn. I'm really not fond of the young adult dystopian scifi thing that Infinity Lost seems to be, but it might be a safer choice. I'll probably wait for some reviews before I make up my mind this month now.

[NickyWithNook]

Wow. I will have a difficult time deciding this month. Several of these look really good. Especially This is the Night and Here and There. I like the look of the cover of Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, but the story only sounds mildly interesting. Not sure what I think of it.

I'll keep an eye on them. No decision yet.

[Brendan Moody]

I doubt Scher had anything to do with what genre label was attached to Here & There on the Kindle First page; that's not the kind of decision authors get to make. I would imagine whoever did choose it was just trying to create an impression of variety by not having two books labeled "science fiction thriller" in a single month. And having skimmed through the book using search inside, I'd say it is more experimental than the usual sci-fi Kindle First selections, though that's not saying much. Anyway, it'll be my pick for this month, and for once I might actually read a Kindle First title.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by Brendan Moody

I doubt Scher had anything to do with what genre label was attached to Here & There on the Kindle First page; that's not the kind of decision authors get to make. I would imagine whoever did choose it was just trying to create an impression of variety by not having two books labeled "science fiction thriller" in a single month. And having skimmed through the book using search inside, I'd say it is more experimental than the usual sci-fi Kindle First selections, though that's not saying much. Anyway, it'll be my pick for this month, and for once I might actually read a Kindle First title.

If you read it before the month's up, please let us know what you think.

[Wearever]

Need to think about these not sure yet. Nothing stands out at the moment. I really liked last months selection. Leaning towards the Mystery "The Mentor ".

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Wearever

Need to think about these not sure yet. Nothing stands out at the moment. I really liked last months selection. Leaning towards the Mystery "The Mentor ".

Since five of the six seem to be some flavor of science fiction, it's a no-brainer for me: The Mentor. But an English translation of an book by an Italian writer, which is set in England? It gives me pause.

[tubemonkey]

I'm debating between Here & There and Infinity Lost.

[Wearever]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Since five of the six seem to be some flavor of science fiction, it's a no-brainer for me: The Mentor. But an English translation of an book by an Italian writer, which is set in England? It gives me pause.

Yeah I was thinking the same about the Mentor. Just not sure about it yet.

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by Crowl

Slight difference for uk readers, instead of the scifi thriller it is:

Thriller:
Gone to Sea in a Bucket:
by David Black;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/r...SIN=B00W4JVJGE

First time there has been a book for hubby, he took that.

[ATDrake]

Just a reminder that this is the last day to pick up a selection if you haven't already.

[Manabi]

This month's Kindle First selections are out, they are:

Christmas in Good Hope (A Good Hope Novel Book 1) by Cindy Kirk [Genre: Romance]

Ami and Beck would rather forget the past, but this Christmas of love is one to remember.

Amaryllis “Ami” Bloom’s cheerful smile greets everyone in Good Hope, Wisconsin. But her merry facade hides a dark secret she won’t ever forget. Still, she throws herself into celebrating Christmas—and convinces her handsome, and stubborn, new neighbor to join her.

Beckett Cross, however, is determined not to celebrate the holidays. He moved to Good Hope to leave behind reminders of how he’d had it all…and lost everything. But it’s hard to resist adorable Ami, the designated keeper of the small town’s holiday traditions, when she asks for help with the Twelve Nights celebrations. And Ami has a hard time resisting Beck’s soft Southern drawl and gentle eyes. Will a Christmas miracle give them a second chance at love and the hope to heal both of their hearts for good?

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

There’s nothing like the magic of the Christmas season. As a kid, I experienced that magic watching the lights go up around the neighborhood, hearing the holiday music at bookstores, seeing the twinkle in my parents’ eyes as I asked them about Santa Claus. And as an adult, I find it when my family and extended family gather at my sister’s house in the Midwest, our laughter ringing off the gold-rimmed plates as “This Christmas” plays in the background and our kids stomp happily through the snow—all the little things that add up to a wondrous anticipation of joy and laughter.

Looking back, with the world-wise knowledge of an adult, I remember one small pinprick of loss and poignancy during Christmas: the morning I discovered beautifully wrapped presents under my parents’ bed, and my creeping suspicion about Santa Claus was heartbreakingly confirmed.

But poignancy only adds to the joy, and Christmas in Good Hope is no exception. Author Cindy Kirk’s story feels like a gift. Plot twists startled me with their unexpected take on forgiveness; the characters of Good Hope, Wisconsin, warmed my blood with their deep sense of community as they rally around one another and take new people into their fold; and main characters Ami and Beck simply made my heart beat faster. We don’t just see them fall for one another: we tsk-tsk as Beck initially rebuffs Ami’s attempts at Christmas cheer; we chuckle as Beck slowly lets go of his Grinchiness; we gasp when the secrets they hold close are revealed; and we marvel at their devotion to one another just when we think one will turn away for good. But most of all, we experience a rush of feel-good adrenaline as Ami and Beck discover they’ll be together from Christmas…until forever.

This Christmas, it’s not pinpricks I’m feeling but flickers of delicious satisfaction knowing this luminous love story and family story is in your good hands.

- Kelli Martin, Editor

Daughter of Sand and Stone by Libbie Hawker [Genre: Historical Fiction]

When Zenobia takes control of her own fate, will the gods punish her audacity?

Zenobia, the proud daughter of a Syrian sheikh, refuses to marry against her will. She won’t submit to a lifetime of subservience. When her father dies, she sets out on her own, pursuing the power she believes to be her birthright, dreaming of the Roman Empire’s downfall and her ascendance to the throne.

Defying her family, Zenobia arranges her own marriage to the most influential man in the city of Palmyra. But their union is anything but peaceful—his other wife begrudges the marriage and the birth of Zenobia’s son, and Zenobia finds herself ever more drawn to her guardsman, Zabdas. As war breaks out, she’s faced with terrible choices.

From the decadent halls of Rome to the golden sands of Egypt, Zenobia fights for power, for love, and for her son. But will her hubris draw the wrath of the gods? Will she learn a “woman’s place,” or can she finally stake her claim as Empress of the East?

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

What do the ancient gods have against bold, brave women? Historically, when a woman has ambitions, she’s taken to task for her hubris. Or, if the gods don’t strike her down, she’s driven to self-sacrifice in order to achieve her aim. Not so for Zenobia, the only woman to ever challenge the Roman Empire. Yes, the gods punished her. Yes, she paid a steep price for protecting her people. But she never backed down; she never gave up her cause.

When author Libbie Hawker delivered the manuscript to me, I finished the first chapter thinking, Man, this Zenobia is a piece of work. Even I wanted to take her down a notch. But as I read on, it became clear that her ambition was borne not of greed but of her loyalty to her city and her family. As the story developed, I softened toward Zenobia and even rallied to her cause. Here is a woman who knew what she was capable of. She knew that if she didn’t put her life on the line, her people would be enslaved by the Romans—and she wasn’t about to let that happen.

History hasn’t been kind to Zenobia. She’s long been portrayed as a power-grabbing warrior queen. In Daughter of Sand and Stone, Libbie Hawker has finally given Zenobia a chance to be much more than that. Here she is a devoted mother, a passionate lover, and a fierce defender of her people. If only she were alive today…I’m sure she’d waste no time punching through the glass ceiling.

- Jodi Warshaw, Editor

The Short Drop by Matthew FitzSimmons [Genre: Thriller]

A decade ago, fourteen-year-old Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of Benjamin Lombard—then a senator, now a powerful vice president running for the presidency—disappeared in the most sensational missing-person case in the nation’s history. Still unsolved, the mystery remains a national obsession.

For legendary hacker and marine Gibson Vaughn, the case is personal—Suzanne Lombard had been like a sister to him. On the tenth anniversary of her disappearance, the former head of Benjamin Lombard’s security asks for Gibson’s help in a covert investigation of the case, with new evidence in hand.

Haunted by tragic memories, he jumps at the chance to uncover what happened all those years ago. Using his military and technical prowess, he soon discovers multiple conspiracies surrounding the Lombard family—and he encounters powerful, ruthless political players who will do anything to silence him and his team. With new information surfacing that could threaten Lombard’s bid for the presidency, Gibson must stay one step ahead as he navigates a dangerous web to get to the truth.

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

I love the thrill of discovery—the spark that flashes through me when I find a new author whom I’m positive readers will love. It’s the spark that makes me press a book into people’s hands, grab them by the shirt, and say, “You’ve got to read this!”

That’s how I feel about The Short Drop—the most assured, gripping, and satisfying debut that I’ve read in recent memory. Matthew FitzSimmons hooked me with the book’s setup: What if the nation’s most notorious unsolved missing person case involves Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of a senator who—despite his family’s tragedy—is destined to become a powerful vice president? What if, ten years after her disappearance, new evidence surfaces in the case as Lombard runs for president?

The setup grabbed my attention, but what kept me riveted was how deeply I cared about the characters—especially the book’s hero, Gibson Vaughn, a legendary hacker-turned-marine offered a chance to solve the mystery of the disappearance of his best childhood friend. Gibson’s friendship with Suzanne comes to life in these pages and turns an action-packed thriller into something with surprising emotional depth that is richly rewarding.

It is rare to discover a book by a first-time author that feels like the work of a seasoned pro who has been churning out bestsellers for twenty years. The Short Drop is that rare book, and it is remarkable.

I won’t tell you more, other than to say: “You’ve got to read this!”

- Alan Turkus, Editor

Gateway to Fourline (The Fourline Trilogy Book 1) by Pam Brondos [Genre: Fantasy]

Years before, a gateway opened between their world and ours. Sending one young woman through may be the key to survival for the kingdom of Fourline.

Strapped for cash, college student Natalie Barns agrees to take a job at a costume shop. Sure, Estos—her classmate who works in the shop—is a little odd, but Nat needs the money for her tuition.

Then she stumbles through the mysterious door behind the shop—and her entire universe transforms.

Discovering there’s far more to Estos than she ever imagined, Nat gets swept up in an adventure to save his homeland, an incredible world filled with decaying magic, deadly creatures, and a noble resistance of exiled warriors battling dark forces. As she struggles with her role in an epic conflict and wrestles with her growing affection for a young rebel, Soris, Nat quickly learns that nothing may go as planned…and her biggest challenge may be surviving long enough to make it home.

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

Gateway to Fourline sits at a crossroads of our everyday world and a wholly different one—a world with fading echoes of magic, rife with vicious beings, and bursting with intoxicating adventure. What I first fell in love with is the book’s innocent honesty that harkens back to the tales I devoured as a young adult. Stories of the hero’s journey, of building the will to fight for what’s most important, and of the discovery of first love. As I read deeper, the story let me indulge in my most sought-after dreams of uncovering a world within a world—like the one discovered by Quentin in The Magicians or even the one Lucy found at the back of a wardrobe.

As Natalie, the protagonist, struggles with issues that we can all relate to—money, aspirations, family—she is thrust into a battle in Fourline, an unknown realm that she has no place in. But once there, Natalie discovers a will and spirit in herself that are nothing short of heroic. Her transformation from average college student to Warrior Sister made me wonder if I would find similar bravery and honor at my core if I were in her shoes. Of course, that’s what I’ve always hoped for whenever I’ve met characters like Natalie in my favorite adventure stories—that I, too, would rise above incomprehensible odds. Unlike Natalie, I’ve never had the chance to test my mettle, but perhaps that’s for the best, because as Natalie struggles in both our world and in Fourline, the path is anything but easy.

I am continually impressed by the story that debut author Pam Brondos has written. It is so supremely satisfying that it’s hard to imagine she could expand upon it further. But she’s done just that with the continuation of Natalie’s journey in the second and third books in the trilogy, both releasing in early 2016.

- Courtney Miller, Editor

The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska by Eileen Curtright [Genre: Modern Fiction]

There are no secrets in a small town. For someone like Rebecca, that can get awkward.

Rebecca Meer’s hometown of Ward, Nebraska, is small—so small that she can’t even sneak home after a drunken girls’ night without running into at least three people she knows. But she has bigger problems than her reputation. The head doctor at her fertility clinic is losing his mind, and his wild behavior could cost them the business. Her supersuccessful ex-boyfriend has blown back into town and somehow become her son’s fifth-grade teacher—now her son is asking awkward questions about the end of their relationship. Rebecca can’t even run the PTA’s annual food drive without getting mixed up with criminals. In Eileen Curtright’s astute comedy, we see just how far a stressed-out single parent will go to be the “perfect” mother.

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

If you like novels that leave you happy, Eileen Curtright’s The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska gets the job done in style. Single mom Rebecca Meer, the feisty heroine of this modern parenting comedy, lives in a small Midwest town where nothing is private or forgotten. Her job hangs by a thread, an ex-boyfriend returns, her son can’t keep up at school—and that’s just the beginning of her problems. How will she ever keep her life together, let alone make it better?

By the time I finished reading, I realized I’d covered Curtright’s manuscript with “LOLs” and exclamation points—I’d never seen parenting portrayed quite so comically before. But at the heart of this book, I also discovered a deeper story of small-town American life and a mother struggling to protect her son from the cruel forces that rule elementary school, and herself from the petty behaviors of her neighbors.

The author told me she wrote this book for the many funny women she knows—and for the many more she knows are out there. Eileen wanted to make those women smile the way mothers sometimes do at the end of a long day, when the children are finally asleep, and they can drop the carefully constructed facade of “Mom” and, in the company of a good book, relish and relive the true joys of motherhood.

- Carmen Johnson, Editor

Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind by Anne Charnock [Genre: Experimental Fiction]

History is storytelling. But some stories remain untold.

In fifteenth-century Italy, Paolo Uccello recognizes the artistic talent of his young daughter, Antonia, and teaches her how to create a masterpiece. The girl composes a painting of her mother and inadvertently sparks an enduring mystery.

In the present day, a copyist painter receives a commission from a wealthy Chinese businessman to duplicate a Paolo Uccello painting. Together, the painter and his teenage daughter visit China, and in doing so they begin their escape from a tragic family past.

In the twenty-second century, a painting is discovered that’s rumored to be the work of Paolo Uccello’s daughter. This reawakens an art historian’s dream of elevating Antonia Uccello, an artist ignored by history because of her gender.

Stories untold. Secrets uncovered. But maybe some mysteries should remain shrouded.

From the Editor:

Spoiler:

Time to call your book club. Why? Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind is an ambitious, profound, and multilayered novel that asks thoughtful questions about family, legacy, storytelling, and buried secrets—questions that beg to be discussed, and that I know I’ll be thinking and talking about with other readers for a long time.

The book contains three stories, those of two girls and one woman: one in fifteenth-century Italy, one in modern-day China, and one in an imagined twenty-second-century London. Though their lives span half the globe and more than six centuries, their fortunes are nevertheless entangled in ways that none of them understands. As readers we learn of the connections as we go, and the ensuing harmony across their stories sings with a quiet but persistent music that makes this book as memorable as any I’ve edited before.

Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind resonates with a powerful insistence that our lives matter in ways that extend well beyond our immediate time and place. As with many novels whose ideas outlast the time we spend reading them, we’re ultimately better off—more empathetic, more aware of the vastness of which we’re a part—for having read them. This is one of those books.

Anne is a celebrated author—her debut novel, A Calculated Life, was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick and Kitschies Golden Tentacle Awards—and I’m deeply thankful for having had the chance to work with her on this book. My only regret is that I can never again read it for the first time.

- Jason Kirk, Editor

[Dngrsone]

I will try Fourline.

[geekaren]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I will try Fourline.

Fourline appeals the most to me, as well.