The Girl in the Corner: when it's time to step out of the shadows

The Girl in the Corner by Amanda Prowse is a story of one woman’s journey to discover the life she wants but is it the one she already has? Rae-Valentine and Howard were childhood sweethearts. A relationship orchestrated by his loud and vivacious sister, Dolly. They celebrate 25 wonderful years of marriage when Howard drops a bombshell that leaves Rae questioning everything she knows about her husband, their marriage and even about herself. Heartbroken, Rae takes Dolly with her on what should have been a romantic anniversary trip to Antigua. As they drink, dance and talk like old times, Rae realizes that her choices weren’t made by her, they were made for her. Is she really the pushover everything sees her as? As Howard comes looking for a reconciliation, Rae has a choice to make: keep the peace as she always has and is expected to or will she put herself first and rock the boat for the first time in her life? 

Amanda Prowse certainly has a talent to bring a difficult situation to light and make it relatable. The Girl in the Corner is a moving story about one woman’s realization that she has always been there for her family but questions have they really been there for her? Rae has always been the shy, dependable one in her family and when she met Dolly, her polar opposite, in high school, she wanted to be like her. Thirty years later, she is still the quiet, dependable one. When the facade in her life suffers a crack, she questions who am I? I related the most to Rae. The shy, dependable one who stepped in when something needed to be done, usually before someone asked. And like Rae, I too had to learn to stand up and say “no,” although it is still hard sometimes. Overall, I enjoyed Rae and her journey. The supporting characters played their roles well and added to the complexity of the story. I recommend The Girl in the Corner. 

The Girl in the Corner is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

The Winter Rose: a story of survival, forgiveness and reconciliation

The Winter Rose by Melanie Dobson is a story of survival and forgiveness. Grace Tonquin is an American Quaker who works tirelessly in Vichy France to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis. After crossing the treacherous Pyrenees, the children are sent to awaiting families except two. Elias and Marguerite Dupont lost their parents and no clear evidence of family waiting for them, Grace returns home to her family’s Oregon farm to care for them. Even though they are loved and cared for, the horrific experiences they had to endure would come back to haunt them, threatening to tear their family apart. Fifty years later, Addie Hoult arrives at Tonquin Lake looking for the family. It is a matter of life and death for her beloved mentor and father figure, Charlie, who is battling a genetic disease. Though Charlies refuses to discuss his relationship or ties to the Tonquin family, Addie knows that finding them is the only way to save his life. Could it also heal the wounds of the past? 

The Winter Rose is a beautiful story about a piece of history I didn’t know about and I’m sure many have not heard. It is a story to honor the effects of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization which in part of their wartime efforts, helped rescue thousands of Jewish children during World War II. Grace, as a member of this organization, risks life and limb for the chance that these children can have a chance at life. Ms. Dobson writes a detailed story with many mysteries, twists and turns.. It is a story about the bonds of family with faith and forgiveness. As more and more authors are bringing to light stories like the AFSC, we learn that many organizations, groups and people worked tirelessly and with no qualms about their own safety to help those who were under attack. I enjoyed Grace’s faith and even in her moments of fear, doubts and trouble, she turned to God for guidance and strength. I recommend The Winter Rose. 

The Winter Rose will be available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook on January 11th. 

The Passing Storm: a story of family, reconciliation, and closure

The Passing Storm by Christine Nolfi is a story about family, reconciliation and bringing closure to the past. Rae Langdon has struggled with grief most of her adult life. First with the sudden loss of her mother during the storm of the century to the tragic accident that took her daughter. Along with her father, Connor, she tends their Ohio farm that has seen better days but she is determined to keep the land. As days are a struggle with memories and anger, she gives shelter to one person she was determined to hate. Quinn Galecki is a teenager who has had a very troubling relationship with his parents. At the beginning of what promised to be a brutal winter, he is thrown out. With nowhere to go, he finds himself a temporary home with the Langdons. As he works to earn his keep, Quinn develops an unexpecting kinship with Rae and Connor. But soon secrets will be revealed that threaten that new found relationship. Will they find a way to move forward with their grief and find the bright future that awaits them on the other side of the passing storm? 

The Passing Storm is filled with drama, intrigue and mystery. Like a building storm, the story starts off slow and you will wonder where the story is going. Then as the storm gets stronger, the revelations build and build until the fierceness of the storm takes your breath away and you hold on for dear life as the storm blows through. The story is filled with twists and turns that will have you eager to turn the page! From the opening character, we see an angry Rae confronting a timid and frightened Quinn. What did the teen possibly do to invoke such anger from an adult? Rae was a woman who flew off the handle often, added with grief and she isn't thinking clearly. We soon learn that Rae is dealing with more than grief but deep, deep secrets of the past. At first, Rae is a hard woman to like but as the story unfolds and she brings Quinn into her home, I can see she was hiding a lot of grief, hurt and even guilt. I enjoyed Rae’s best friend, Yuna, as the voice of reason for Rae. I highly recommend The Passing Storm. 

The Passing Storm is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

In Twenty Years: five friends gather to honor one friend and confront the past

In Twenty Years by Allison Winn Scotch is the story of five friends who reunite at the last request of a departed friend. They must confront past indiscretions, present issues and hope to build better futures. The story begins in 1998 with the six college friends and roommates on the eve of their graduation. Bea, the de facto leader, gathers everyone together and has them write a letter to their selves twenty years in the future. Annie is shy and reluctant to write such a letter. Lindy, the outgoing musician, is eager. Colin, the handsome future doctor and Owen and Catherine, the college sweethearts, are also eager to write this letter. Fast forward to 2016. Bea tragically died thirteen years earlier which fractured the friends cross the country, leaving the lines of communication and friendship tattered and frayed. Each friend receives a letter from the Bea’s estate, request each one to spend the weekend of what would have been Bea’s 40^th birthday at their college home. As the friends arrive at the house, it is clear that the past is still a part of their lives. Will the friends be able to find the common thread which gathered them together in the first place? Will they be able to get their lives back on track? To the dreams they held eighteen years ago?

In Twenty Years is an excellent story filled with drama, excitement, tears and joy. The characters felt real with their past and current issues. The reader could be any or all of the characters. I also enjoyed how the story is told from each character’s perspective. You get to really see their motivations. You can related to their fears of failure, of rejection, of the past and of the future. You will cheer with them, cry with them, and cry foul when someone is being a jerk. I highly recommend In Twenty Years!

In Twenty Years

Is available at major booksellers

In paperback, ebook and audiobook