INTRODUCTION:

The path after war rarely offers clear answers, especially for those who have lost more than the cause itself. In The Devil’s Shadow series by Burt Tyson, Captain Robert Hester’s journey begins where many stories end, following a man forced to define himself without the structure he once depended on.

SYNOPSIS:

With the war coming to an end, Captain Robert Hester is left facing a world that no longer has a place for him. The cause he fought for is gone, and the code he lived by is slipping into the past. What remains is a life shaped by uncertainty, survival, and the choices that follow when there is no clear direction forward.

Hester’s experience unfolds in The Shadow Appears, where he awakens wounded as the Confederacy collapses around him, his name marked for death. Returning home brings not relief, but a devastating discovery that changes everything in a single brutal moment. What follows is a relentless pursuit through a defeated landscape where former soldiers have become outlaws and survival often demands hard choices.
A different kind of struggle emerges in The Shadow Grows, where that pursuit has ended and something quieter takes its place. Moving through unfamiliar land, Hester encounters a way of living shaped by patience and discipline. For the first time since the war, something begins to shift. But when violence threatens a small town, he must decide whether to walk away or stand for something beyond himself.

EXCERPT:

The Shadow Appears

Chapter 1

The buzzing woke me. I opened my eyes. It was morning. I saw the blowfly on the sheet that covered my chest, staring at me through his two large eyes, his wings vibrating in the still air.

I didn’t even bother to shoo him away. It was a waste of time. There were too many of them. There shouldn’t have been. It was the last week of March in Richmond in 1865, and there should have been a few in sun-warmed windows and no more.

But this was the Chimborazo Hospital and blowflies were everywhere, along with the groans and cries of wounded men— many dying—and the ever-present stench of disease, gangrene, human waste, and blood.

We were a sad lot. Too little medicine. Too little food. Too little hope. Too much pain. Too much fear. And for many, too few limbs.

But it was far better than the field hospital where I had lain for a day after being shot. Or the jolting, painful wagon ride to Richmond.

I had been here since the middle of December. First, it was the wound and the blood loss. Then, the fever had come. And, now, it was just the weakness. I didn’t have the strength to get out of bed—a pretty pitiful sight for a cavalry officer.

I heard the click of cavalry boots on the wooden floor before I saw the figure. Captain Jonathan Washburn stood at the end of my bed. His left sleeve was folded up and pinned at the shoulder. I could never get used to seeing him without his arm.

“Well, Captain, I suppose you’ve malingered long enough. You have new orders. Get yourself dressed. We’re taking you out of all this.”

“I’m being released from this hell-hole? You mean that?”

“I do, indeed. Turley, front and center, man. Get yourself out here and help the captain.”

Sergeant Josiah Turley materialized as if out of thin air. A lean, wiry mountain boy, Turley was raw-boned, with a shock of red hair and a disposition to match.

It was Turley, more than anyone else, who had saved me.


The Shadow Grows

Chapter 1

I rode out of Parral with no sense of purpose, no mission. I was lost. I still had the dreams. Every night.

They began as they always did, with the bloody tears streaming from my mama’s portrait, the wraithlike figures of Aunt Callie, my daddy, my sister, and my fiancée swirling about me, asking why I hadn’t saved them. And then, after the fire and the blood of my home place, the faces of Ruth and Laurie and the bodies of Abby and Jacob. And then all of the loved ones in the dream swirled around me like tormented spirits. Their voices joined together in a single chorus. Though their mouths never moved, I heard their words.

You’ve failed us. Where is our vengeance? Where is our peace? What are we to do?

Their haunting bodies pressed around me, choking me with their presence.

And each night I would come awake, unable to breathe, my heart racing. It always felt like I would never regain my breath or still my heart. The oppression of sadness and pain and guilt never seemed to go away.

As I rode westward, riding the big gray stallion, Quicksilver Ghost, and leading three other horses, Lady Red, the bay I had given my sister, and two black geldings, I still carried the hope of revenge on George Stoneman for what his bummers had done to the ones I loved back in Virginia and North Carolina. But with the failure of Jo Shelby’s plans to regroup and reenter Texas to continue the fight against the Yankees, I had little left but despair. I rode the lonely wastes of Chihuahua State in Mexico, heading for the Copper Canyon. I had nothing else to do that mattered.

I decided I would enter the Barrancas del Cobre, the Copper Canyon, from the west and ride back toward Texas. I rode through the towns of La Noria, El Tule, San Pablo Balleza, La Loma, Yoquivo, Batopilas, La Bufa, and Cusarare. At each of the towns, I found a place for my horses and cared for them. I ate in whatever cantina the town had to offer and drank mescal.

At Cusarare, I rode east toward the canyon, descending into the most desolate country I had ever seen. And the most beautiful. From the high mountain ridges to the bottom of the canyon, I went from alpine peaks of pines and Douglas fir at almost eight thousand feet to huge figs and palm trees at the bottom of the canyon at just eighteen hundred feet above sea level.

For the next two weeks, I rode through the Copper Canyon. I marveled at the copper and green color of the canyon walls and the beauty and stillness of it. There was plentiful game, and I ate well while riding through this marvel of nature. I saw no one and no sign of anyone.

The peace and solitude felt good. I thought a lot. About my life for the past few years. And about what the Padre had said to me. But I still had the dreams.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

What’s a detail, theme, or clue in your book that most readers might miss on the first read but you secretly hope someone notices?
That men, at least prior to current times, were never taught to deal with failure.  And, yet, the loss of the War and the “Cause” carried with it, often, the loss of home, family, future and purpose.  What better metaphor for failure than the Confederate soldier after the Civil War?

When did this story or idea “click” into place for you—was there a single moment you knew you had to write it?
The issue of men and loss had been around since the mid-1980s when I was forced to close a business and my wife divorced me.  Around 1990, I wrote a novel which would become the 5th novel in this series.  After my 2nd wife died in 2016, I started writing again and wrote the 1st novel in the series which sets the tone and the themes for the rest of the series: loss, failure, guilt, despair…and, perhaps, redemption.

Which character or real-life person surprised you the most while writing this book, and why?
The Mexican Padre (not a real-life person).  His thoughts and questions surprised me as they were not ones I had had.

If your book had a soundtrack, which songs would be on it and what scenes or moments would they pair with?
The Theme Song of the Gray Ghost TV series about John Singleton Mosby for the opening of the novel.
“Lorena,” during and after the destruction of his home and the killing of his family and his fiance.
“The Bonnie Blue Flag,” during the journey through the devastated South to rejoin Jeff Davis and then to reach Texas.
“The Yellow Rose of Texas,” as Captain Hester, Sergeant Turly and Corporal Travis enter and ride through Texas.
A Mexican song celebrating the Battle of Puebla (e.g., La Paloma Juarista), as a foretelling of the outcome of Shelby’s attempt to negotiate with Maximillian, to be played during the scene when Hester explains his break with Shelby.
Mariachi music in the scene in the cantina with confrontation with Mexican vaquero.
“Ave Maria instrumental” for the scenes with Padre Jose as Hester is recovering from wounds.
The theme song for the movie The Outlaw Josie Wales for the final scene of the novel.

What’s one belief, question, or emotional truth you hope readers carry with them long after they finish your book?
That the Cowboy Code endures…honor.,honesty, courage, knowing right from wrong.

Tell us about a moment during the writing process when the story (or message) took an unexpected turn.
The introduction of Jim Dandy Travis and the events in Dogtown and on the Travis ranch.

If your protagonist (or central figure) could give the reader one piece of advice, what would it be?
Fight for right and saddle up no matter how high the risk.

What real-world place, object, or memory helped shape a key element in your book?
Jo Shelby’s retreat into Mexico.

What’s something you had to research, learn, or experience to write this book that genuinely surprised you?
Almost everything.  Civil war guns, post-war Natchez, Shelby’s march into Mexico, horses, etc.

If your book were invited to join a shelf with three other titles, which ones would make you happiest—and what would that shelf say about your story?
Lonesome Dove, The Daybreakers, Kilkenny, Appaloosa
That this is a Western about strong men with honor, fighting for a place to live and overcoming life’s circumstances.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Burt Tyson writes historical Western fiction rooted in the aftermath of the Civil War, where questions of honor, loss, and survival take center stage. Influenced by classic storytellers like Louis L’Amour, Larry McMurtry, and the Western television heroes he grew up watching, his work explores what happens when the fight is over and a man is left to decide who he is without it.

His Devil’s Shadow series follows Captain Robert Hester through a fractured post-war America and into the unforgiving frontier beyond.

Tyson lives in a small town in South Carolina, where the landscape is quiet—but the stories he tells are anything but. Visit Burt at his website.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4vTQamj

Goodreads:
THE SHADOW APPEARS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242866374-the-shadow-appears
THE SHADOW GROWS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249546840-the-shadow-grows

INTRODUCTION:

In East Tennessee, the Civil War didn’t always arrive with marching armies. It crept into daily life—into kitchens, barns, and conversations that suddenly carried risk. In The Reluctant Patriot, Susan Lohafer follows a man trying to hold onto his routine and his family while the world around him quietly shifts beyond his control.

Harrison Self is a farmer who wants no part in the war. His focus is on tending his land, protecting his family, and maintaining a sense of normal life in a time that feels increasingly unstable. He believes that neutrality is not only possible, but necessary—that by avoiding alliances, he can keep danger at a distance.

That belief begins to erode when his son becomes involved in a Unionist conspiracy to burn Confederate railroad bridges. What had once seemed like a distant conflict suddenly becomes personal, as suspicion spreads and attention turns toward anyone connected to the act.

Harry is arrested and accused of treason, thrust into a system of military courts where outcomes depend less on innocence than on testimony and perception. Surrounded by shifting loyalties and uncertain allegiances, he must navigate a reality where truth is difficult to establish and neutrality is no longer understood as protection. As the situation closes in, he is forced to confront what it means to stand still when history demands movement.

EXCERPT:

Chapter 1
The Conspiracy

Greeneville, Tennessee
November 8, 1861

As he stepped carefully among the saddled horses, Harry could hear them moving their hobbled weight in the gloom. Their warm breath clouded the November chill. Here and there, he stroked a muscled neck, lifting the nap of coarse hair. In the dark, he was wary of their stamping hooves. “Pay me no mind,” he whispered. Time was short, and yet he slowed in their midst, feeling their inner heat, their careless strength, their indifference to the road they traveled. They were as tolerant of him as if he’d once had four legs.

Peering up into the heavens, he lost his gaze in the liquid dark, hoping to catch God’s eye. All he saw was the paleness above the tree line. All he knew was what he’d learned in half a century. Must be about nine, he judged, as if he’d heard nature’s clock chime. Then the pain flooded back, gushing through his veins and pooling in his stomach. How much simpler it would be if his toes were mashed to pulp. His heart on a spit wouldn’t satisfy Corniah if he failed to bring their son back.

Harry crossed the patch of swept earth and mounted the single stair. He leaned into the solid wood he’d helped Jake saw and plane and settle into place on hinges strong enough to stop a bull. The planks gave an inch, then resisted, heaving with the crowd on the other side.

Harrison Self firmed his jaw. This was his brother-in-law’s house, where, on any other day, he could enter without knocking. From his own front door, it was only a mile’s walk, though tonight he’d forced Castor to a gallop that surprised them both. Nor had he expected what followed. To be standing on this doorstep, fighting to gain a toehold, was like milking a wooden cow. If you had sense, you lost interest.

But he couldn’t give up. They had his son in there, he was sure  of it, and there was no going home without Hugh. When an opening appeared, he lodged his foot in the crack. They would not keep him out, no, they would not, though earlier in the day he’d refused to be one of them, said it was none of his affair. “Only a fool lights a match in his own barn,” he’d said, thinking he had clinched the argument.

Yet his son had trailed after them, so here was Harry, come to pull the child back, lest he burn himself.

No one’s fault, then, but Hugh’s, that his father looked ridiculous as he fought with the stubborn door, though no one saw him but the waiting horses. It was a sizable herd, and he reckoned most of the able-bodied men of Greeneville must be visiting the Harmons.

One thing he knew: their dirty boots would be breaking his sister’s heart, fouling the boards she scrubbed every day, in case the Deity dropped by. Sometimes he smiled at her housewifely care, but tonight he shared her outrage. They’d be making a mess in there, words pouring out regardless of consequences. He’d have kept his distance, but here he was, pounding on the door. How his fingers ached for Hugh’s collar. Let him but get a hand on the boy. First he’d hold the truant close—a foretaste of the moment pierced him—then he’d grab Hugh by the belt, hoist him in a circled arm, and haul him back to sanity.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

What’s a detail, theme, or clue in your book that most readers might miss on the first read but you secretly hope someone notices?
On p. 190, Andy explains how he escaped from captivity while in transit to another prison. After losing himself in a crowd, he was helped on his way by Lincoln-loving slaves, among whom was a child in a “red stocking cap.” Andy, of course, doesn’t know who the child is, but readers, I hope, will recognize Joshua, the narrator of Chapter 5, with his distinctive Zouave cap. His cameo reappearance advances the untold story of his growing awareness of his agency as a human being and his stake in the Civil War.

When did this story or idea “click” into place for you—was there a single moment you knew you had to write it?
A few years after I moved to East Tennessee, I happened to be leafing through some books on local history.  I already knew that this part of the state had been loyal to the Union, even after Tennessee joined the Confederacy. As a transplanted Northerner, I was drawn to this anomaly. When I chanced upon the case of an ordinary citizen who was caught in the war unwillingly and sentenced to death for treason, I knew I held a thread that would lead me to the heart of a fascinating story.

Which character or real-life person surprised you the most while writing this book, and why?
Ask people about W. G. Brownlow, the famous pastor, editor, and first governor of Tennessee after the Civil War, and they’ll probably tell you, yes, he was charismatic, but also bumptious, mud-slinging, didactic, and vengeful. As I got to know him better, however, I learned he was other things, too: generous, warm-hearted, courageous, and faithful (in his way) to the dignity of the common man. I loved the challenge of portraying this controversial figure.

If your book had a soundtrack, what three pieces of music would be on it and what scenes or moments would they pair with?
– Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring (finale), heightening the drama of the bridge-burning frenzy, p. 28.
– Jay Ungar’s “Ashokan Farewell” (Ken Burns’ documentary), marking the transition between the Prologue and Chapter 1, pp. 3f.
– Dvořák’s New World Symphony (the part adapted by William Arms Fisher as “Goin’ Home”), underscoring Andy’s dying vision of the escape to Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap, pp.196f.

What’s one belief, question, or emotional truth you hope readers carry with them long after they finish your book?
I hope that, years after meeting Harry and sharing his inner life, readers will remember that patriotism isn’t an easy or automatic feeling. It’s a learned understanding, sometimes at great cost, of your identity’s debt to your country’s past, present, and future.

Tell us about a moment during the writing process when the story (or message) took an unexpected turn.
This book began, many years ago, as a work of nonfiction about a Civil War incident. Some of the earlier chapters were shopped around to agents, but no one was interested. I had to admit it: I’d lost interest myself. In the kind of writing that exhilarated me, in the short stories I’d published in the past, the subject wasn’t separate from the artistry that rendered it. At heart, I was a fiction-writer. I wanted to tell a story that was faithful to the record yet open to the imagination. And so I began writing an historical novel about a reluctant patriot.

If your protagonist (or central figure) could give the reader one piece of advice, what would it be?
One of the many things Harry lost during the war was his confidence that he had a handle on life’s challenges, so he wouldn’t have been quick to give advice. If pressed, however, and given that his greatest sorrow was not his own suffering at the hands of the Confederacy but the death of his son, I think he would have said, Listen for what your children aren’t saying to you.

What real-world place, object, or memory helped shape a key element in your book?
In 1861, Lick Creek was a minor stream crossed by a major bridge. Over it, the railroad carried the resources of the Deep South to the generals of the Confederacy. When I visited the spot in a quiet corner of rural Tennessee, there was no trace of the railroad that was sabotaged by local Unionists. The long grass was still there, and the low-hanging branches, and the clear brown water above a velvety streambed. Later, I populated that scene with stamping horses and low-voiced men, stirring up the fallen leaves and muddying the water as they stealthily neared the bridge they would soon destroy, along with their innocence as noncombatants.

What’s something you had to research, learn, or experience to write this book that genuinely surprised you?
When researching the Tennessee State Guard (often disparaged as Governor Brownlow’s “private army,” used to harass his enemies), I was surprised–and moved–to learn that some of these soldiers were assigned to protect Black voters on their first Election Day after emancipation. I’d thought that suffrage, like other rights, could be granted by fiat, but it only came into being through the choices men made when it came under threat.

If your book were invited to join a shelf with three other titles, which ones would make you happiest—and what would that shelf say about your story?
I’d be thrilled to see my book on a shelf with Geraldine Brooks’ March (2005), Allen C. Guelzo’s Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (2013), and Charles Frazier’s Varina (2018). Being in such company would say not only that my book is set during the 1860s, but that–politics and generalship aside–books about war should always come down to the sufferings endured and the meaning found (or lost) by those experiencing it firsthand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Lohafer is the author of The Reluctant Patriot, a historical novel based on true events from the Civil War in East Tennessee.

A graduate of Harvard University (B.A., magna cum laude), Stanford University (M.A. in Creative Writing), and New York University (Ph.D. in American Literature), she spent her academic career at the University of Iowa, where she specialized in short fiction theory and narrative structure.

Her previous books include Coming to Terms with the Short Story and Reading for Storyness: Preclosure Theory, Empirical Poetics, and Culture in the Short Story, as well as the co-edited volume Short Story Theory at a Crossroads. Her shorter works have appeared in publications such as The Southern Review, and a 2011 essay was on the ‘Notable’ list in The Best American Essays.

She lives in Tennessee.

INTRODUCTION:

I’m bringing to you today two books in the Science Fiction genre. I know some of you will love these books. Yoav Blum has a few other books that look interesting. You might want to check those out too!

THE UNSWITCHABLE:

In a world where people can switch bodies at will, identity is disposable. Dan Arbel knows this better than anyone—because he’s the only person alive who can’t switch at all.

What Dan has always seen as a curse becomes dangerous when a dying stranger reveals a secret tied to his past, setting off a chain reaction of assassins, conspiracies, and shifting faces. Hunted by enemies who can look like anyone, Dan is forced to rely on the one thing no one else can steal: his unchanging self. As the truth comes into focus, Dan must decide whether being unswitchable is his greatest weakness—or his only chance at survival.

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/unswitchableblum

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241362812-the-unswitchable

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE:

Professor Yonatan Brand was brilliant, careful, and famously risk-averse—so when he’s discovered dead inside his locked study, no one can explain how it happened. The only thing more unsettling than the sealed room is the strange device found beside his body, suggesting Brand may have been closer to unlocking time than anyone realized.

Enter Benjamin “Bunker” Kronovic and Abigail Canaani, two deeply human, deeply unprepared investigators whose search for answers leads them into a web of old friendships, quiet regrets, and long-hidden betrayals. As timelines blur and motives shift, they begin to realize that solving this mystery won’t just require uncovering what happened—but understanding when it happened.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4abKZ8V

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241371601-in-the-blink-of-an-eye

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Yoav Blum is an author known for blending high-concept speculative ideas with gripping mystery, thriller, and philosophical depth. His work explores extraordinary situations—time travel, body switching, orchestrated coincidences—while grounding them in questions of identity, perception, fate, and free will. Beneath each thriller or puzzle lies a reflection on what it means to be human. His tone is introspective, suspenseful, and often playfully self-aware. Learn more at his website, or connect via Facebook, Instagram, or X.

INTRODUCTION:

This is a book I’m bringing to you today because I think many of you will love this book! New Harmony by Leon E. Pettiway is a book I’ve added to my personal tbr stack.

SYNOPSIS:

In the small Southern town of New Harmony, Margaret’s life is woven tightly into the rhythms of family, church, and community. The Jim Crow South forms the backdrop of her childhood and adulthood, shaping the choices available to her and the boundaries she must navigate. Yet within those constraints, she builds a life rooted in love and devotion.

After the murder of her son, Margaret’s faith and resilience are pushed to their limits. The novel traces her inward journey through grief, revealing how memory, storytelling, and communal bonds offer fragile but real paths toward healing. Thoughtful and emotionally grounded, this work of historical fiction reflects on the ways history lingers in families and how survival often depends on collective strength.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Leon E. Pettiway, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, Bloomington, where his scholarship focused on race, environment, and criminal justice in urban America. Over the course of his academic career, he examined how structural inequality shapes lived experience and social outcomes. In later years, his work expanded to explore how Eastern and Western philosophical traditions might inform conversations about justice and morality. A fully ordained Buddhist monk in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, he now devotes his time to spiritual practice, teaching, and writing. New Harmony: A Mother’s Story of Love and Loss is his debut novel.  You can learn more on his website and follow him on Instagram.

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3NN680i

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244474540-new-harmony

REVIEW:

I am in such a happy place today. I just finished the book Second Song by Tess Thompson. It is the fourth book in The Parent App series. I have read all of the books so far and was immediately drawn in with the premise of the series. There are five moms whose children are starting school for the first time. A coffee gathering was organized for the mothers that first morning. Five of the moms  quickly become fast friends and lean on each other for support. They call themselves sisters. 

Several years down the line their oldest children decide their mothers should fall in love and get married.They put profiles online for their mothers before they tell them what they are doing. Needless to say, the moms were not happy about the situation. Three of them have gotten married so far.

Second Song is about Seraphina. She has one son and is a very well known and popular romance author. She works hard and has written sixty-one novels so far. I love a good book about an author. Part of this book is about music and has a visit to the Country Music City of Nashville, Tennessee. I love country music and have been to Nashville many times. This book hit so many good points for me. 

Second Song has so much happening that you just can’t be bored. I could never wait to get back to it. It was heartwarming and made me cry at least a few tears several times during the reading of this book. It truly is a must read. The whole series is! 

If you love clean romance and heartwarming family stories about everyday struggles, then this book and series is for you. I highly recommend The Parent App series and of all the books that I’ve read so far in the series, I think that Second Song is my favorite one. These are a must have for your nightstand. Until next time… Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review. Even a few words help.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SYNOPSIS:

Authors have two favorite words: The End.
Seraphina Sinclair has written sixty-one of them. None of them hers.

Sixty-one romance novels. Sixty-one happily-ever-afters for her characters — and exactly zero for herself.

And she’s been fine, thank you very much. Raising her son in their cliffside home above the Pacific. Keeping her heart safely out of the equation. Letting the fictional men do the falling.

What Seraphina does not know — what she will, in fact, be the last person in Willet Cove to find out — is that her fifteen-year-old son and his friends have quietly written her a dating profile on an app called Second Chance. And that her son has, independently and with the cool competence of someone who was clearly born to run a con, requested guitar lessons from the brooding, beautiful bartender at the local watering hole.

At their house. Every week.
Purely coincidentally.

Hunter Sloan came to Willet Cove to disappear. After a bitter, very public divorce, he walked away from Nashville, took a job pouring drinks at a small-town pub, and told himself a quieter life was what he needed. He was supposed to heal. Write some songs. Figure out what came next.

He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Seraphina Sinclair the first time she walked into his bar.

But then — he also wasn’t supposed to spend the winter before he met her alone in a cottage by the sea, reading every one of her novels and wondering if the woman who wrote them could ever believe in one of her own.

What Seraphina doesn’t know is that Hunter has heard of her long before she heard of him.

Because her favorite song — the three-chord country ballad that’s been on repeat in her writing studio ever since it first hit the radio, the one that cracked her heart open and found its way into every love story she’s written since — was written by the man now standing in her living room tuning a guitar.

He wrote the song she’s been writing to.
Hunter.

When buried feelings finally surface and the outside world comes crashing in — tabloid lies, a scandal neither of them asked for, and paparazzi who do not care that Tyler is a minor — Seraphina and Hunter will have to decide whether the love they’ve quietly been making of each other for years is strong enough to survive the noise.

Luckily, her son and his band of determined teenage matchmakers have already done the hard part.

They were ninety-nine percent sure about it from the beginning.

Second Song is the fourth book in the Parent App series — a slow-burn, behind-closed-doors small-town romance featuring a guarded single-mom author, a songwriter hero who’s been pouring his heart into her favorite song for years, meddling teenage matchmakers considerably more effective than their mothers suspect, a country-music superstar best friend, and two people who found each other’s art long before they found each other.

Because in Willet Cove, the best love stories aren’t the ones you write.
They’re the ones your kid signs you up for.

Turns out Seraphina’s two favorite words might not be The End after all.
They might just be The Beginning.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tess Thompson is the USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary and historical Romantic Women’s Fiction with over 70 published titles. Her books are emotional and heartwarming with themes of second chances, redemption and the power love has to change lives and create community.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest in a house on a small lake with her husband and kitties. Her four children are now young adults exploring their own paths and adventures, leaving an empty nest and a lot more time to write. She and her husband enjoy a quiet life, obsessed with birds and the other wildlife on their property, which makes them officially old. On any given day their yard could be visited by deer, bears, coyotes and squirrels.

Most days, she can be found curled up in her favorite chair reading or in her office writing while keeping an eye out for hummingbirds in the feeder outside of her office.

REVIEW:

I am here to tell you if you haven’t started reading the new Kentucky Silverleaf series by Kellie Coates Gilbert, now is the time. Book two, Second Chances arrived on the shelves today and Book one titled Silverleaf was so interesting and a complete surprise to me. I thought these books would be too much racing and not enough family ties and romance going on, but I was wrong. These books were great and there is more to come. They held my interest and drew me in pretty deep.  

This weekend is the Kentucky Derby and this book is all about the prep before the derby and the day of. There is a lot of preparation for the family. After all they are one of the older and respected families in the Kentucky horse racing community. The ladies have to look the part along with the men. 

There is a lot of rivalry in horse racing and a lot of money. We get to learn some of the behind the scenes things that go on which turned out to be interesting. You don’t have to enjoy the sport to enjoy the Kentucky Silverleaf Series. There is a lot going on in the Haverly family to keep you entertained. Not only do the adults have a thing or two going on, but the kids will keep you smiling. 

I have found myself in love with yet another series. I highly recommend the Kentucky Silverleaf Series by Kellie Coates Gilbert. What a better weekend to start this series than Kentucky Derby weekend! It really does deserve a spot on your nightstand. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Oh! Don’t forget to read the Afterword by Leona Jefferson. She might just be my favorite character in the whole series. She is a hoot.

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review. Even a few words help.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SYNOPSIS:

A family under pressure.
A rivalry that won’t stay buried.
An emotional season where everything could change.

Derby season has arrived in Kentucky horse country—and the powerful Haverly family of Silverleaf is closer than ever to racing’s greatest prize.

Their colt, Royal Julep, has earned a coveted spot on the road to Churchill Downs. But in the glittering world of thoroughbred racing, victory is never guaranteed—and neither is peace within the family itself.

Old rivalries are stirring again as ambitious breeder Memphis Santopolo makes bold moves that threaten Silverleaf’s future. At the same time, the Haverlys face deeply personal challenges of their own. Clayton struggles to balance the responsibility of protecting the family legacy while worrying about his young son’s troubling health concerns. Caroline dares to hope that motherhood will finally bring the joy she has longed for. And Beau—Silverleaf’s charming free spirit—finds himself unexpectedly drawn to a woman who may change his life forever.

As Derby fever grips Kentucky and tensions rise both inside and outside the Silverleaf gates, the Haverly family must stand together like never before.

Because the road to greatness is rarely smooth…
and sometimes the most important victories happen far from the winner’s circle.

SECOND CHANCES continues the sweeping Kentucky Silverleaf family saga—where love, rivalry, and legacy collide in the glamorous world of Kentucky thoroughbred racing. Perfect for fans of Robyn Carr, Susan Wiggs, and emotional family dramas like This is Us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

⭐️ USA TODAY BESTSELLER ⭐️

USA Today Bestselling Author Kellie Coates Gilbert believes books should feel like both a vacation and a homecoming. Her novels invite you into the lives of women you’ll root for, cry with, and celebrate alongside. Whether you love small-town charm, sweeping settings that make you feel like you’re on a vacation, or heart-stirring family drama, you’ll find her stories feel like they were written just for you.

In addition to garnering thousands of five-star reviews, Kellie has been described by RT Book Reviews as a “deft, crisp storyteller.” Her books were featured as Barnes & Noble Top Shelf Picks and earned a coveted place on Library Journal’s Best Book List.

REVIEW:

Harbor Dreams by Tammy L. Grace is the first book in the Stillwater Inn Series. It is a spin-off of the beloved Hometown Harbor Series. If you are a fan of that series you will absolutely love this new series. I read the first book and couldn’t wait to read book two!

Since this is a spin-off we see some of the characters we have come to know in the Hometown Harbor series. I think that is one of my favorite parts of this book. In this book Ida Grayson is dying. The community rallies around her and helps her stay in her home which is the caretakers cottage for Stillwater Inn. You know that is what these people in this community are all about. They take in newcomers as their own and take care of their own. I love the warmth that comes through in these two series.

Ida is dying and she is writing letters to her children and a good friend and a stranger to the rest of them. They have no idea what is coming. I have to say I didn’t either. This is a unique situation and one that caught my attention and imagination. I had a hard time putting this book down and even going to sleep at night. I kept thinking of Ida and what was coming for her and her loved ones. I loved Ida. She had such wonderful memories of spending summers at Stillwater Inn.

If you are a fan of Tammy L. Grace and a fan of reading series, you will want to grab a copy of Harbor Dreams and put it on your nightstand for your reading pleasure. There are several more installments coming and they come out pretty quickly for a series. I recommend you start reading now. You will want to read the rest of the Stillwater Inn Series by Tammy L. Grace. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review. Even a few words help.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SYNOPSIS:

“Heartbreak and healing collide in the Stillwater Inn Series—an emotional family drama that breaks your heart, mends it again, and stays with you long after the last page.”—Kay Bratt, Multi-Million Copy Bestselling Author

Six strangers. One crumbling inn. A year to heal the past—or lose everything.

Ida Grayson is dying. Her body is failing, but her heart still aches for the children she lost along the way. Not to death, but to distance, resentment, and her own mistakes. The Stillwater Inn, her grandparents’ beloved legacy, sits empty and decaying, a monument to dreams deferred and love misunderstood.

In her final months, Ida writes letters. Her two beloved children, her two stepchildren who never forgave her for trying to be their mother, a ferry worker who became her closest friend, and a stranger none of the others know. These six she names as her heirs to make things right.

However, her will demands the impossible. Live together. Restore the inn. Become a family. But some wounds run deeper than the Pacific, and some secrets refuse to stay buried. Can six strangers bound by one woman’s dying wish find forgiveness, or will the inn crumble along with Ida’s last hope?

Discover the first book in the Stillwater Inn Series, an emotional family drama set in the world of Hometown Harbor. Harbor Dreams is a bittersweet story of second chances, found family, and the home that holds us together when nothing else can.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tammy L. Grace is a USA Today bestselling author of women’s fictions, family sagas, mysteries, and Christmas stories. She’s known for writing perfect escapes, unforgettable characters, and binge-worthy stories. Readers often say her characters feel like old friends and love the dogs she weaves into all her books. She brings readers entertaining stories that take them on an emotional journey, filled with complex relationships of friendship and family in her women’s fiction novels. Mystery readers delight in her fast-paced whodunits and fans of Christmas love her small town holiday stories filled with family, friendship, and furry characters.

Tammy also writes under the pen name Casey Wilson and has released two emotional and heartwarming stories about the bond we have with our beloved canine companions.

When Tammy isn’t working on ideas for a novel, she’s spending time with family and friends or supporting her addiction to books, tea, and chocolate. She and her husband make their home in Nevada and have one grown son and a spoiled golden retriever.

Tammy invites you to subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.tammylgrace.com/newsletter and she’ll send you a free interview with all the dogs in her Hometown Harbor Series as a thank you gift. Find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tammylgrace.books and be sure and click the follow button here on Amazon.

Read more from USA Today bestselling author Tammy L. Grace

HOMETOWN HARBOR SERIES
Hometown Harbor: The Beginning (Prequel Novella)
Finding Home
Home Blooms
Promise of Home
Pieces of Home
Finally Home
Forever Home
Follow Me Home
Long Way Home
Come Home for Christmas
Feels Like Home
Whispers of Home

STILLWATER INN SERIES
Harbor Dreams
Harbor Echoes
Harbor Winds
Harbor Lights
Harbor Reflections
Harbor Shores
Harbor Hearts

COOPER HARRINGTON DETECTIVE NOVELS
Killer Music
Deadly Connection
Dead Wrong
Cold Killer
Deadly Deception
Deadly Pursuit

GLASS BEACH COTTAGE SERIES
Beach Haven
Moonlight Beach
Beach Dreams
SISTERS OF THE HEART SERIES
Greetings from Lavender Valley
Pathway to Lavender Valley
Sanctuary at Lavender Valley
Blossoms at Lavender Valley
Comfort in Lavender Valley
Reunion in Lavender Valley

CHRISTMAS BOOKS
A Season for Hope (Christmas in Silver Falls)
The Magic of the Season (Christmas in Silver Falls)
Christmas in Snow Valley (Hometown Christmas Series)
One Unforgettable Christmas (Hometown Christmas Series)
Christmas Sisters (FREE PREQUEL to Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge)
Christmas Wishes (Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge)
Christmas Surprises (Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge)
Christmas Shelter (Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge)
Christmas Hearts (Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge)

OTHER TITLES
The Wishing Tree
Wish Again
Overdue Wishes
One More Wish
Pick of the Litter
Hearts Unleashed
Welcome Aboard
Uncharted Waters

WRITING AS CASEY WILSON
A Dog’s Hope
A Dog’s Chance

REVIEW:

Silverleaf is book one of the new Kentucky Silverleaf Series by Kellie Coates Gilbert. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like this series. I was wrong. I loved it from the minute I started the first page. This series is about a family that is involved with horse racing. I know Kellie’s writing well enough that I should have known it would mostly be based on the family and relationships. I don’t know what I was worried about!

Silverleaf is the farm owned by the Haverly’s. They not only raise race horses but, they also race them. They are one of the long standing families in horse racing and have had several champions in their history. I thought I was going to be bogged down with the details of the horse racing business and instead I’m so locked into this family and all that is happening in their lives. They all are now living on the farm and most of them have their own homes on the estate.

Revie is the matriarch of the family and Graham is her husband of 40 years. They have three adult children, two daughters named Mel and Caroline and Beau is their son. He still lives in the house with his parents.

Don’t forget to read the Afterword by Leona Jefferson! She is the maid and keeps the house running to the satisfaction of Revie. She has been around a while and takes care of everyone. She is a hoot and you will enjoy hearing from her. The afterword in Leona’s voice is absolutely genius!

If you like a great series like I do, then do yourself a favor and grab Silverleaf, the first book of the Kentucky Silverleaf Series. They appear to be coming out in quick succession so you won’t have to wait long in between books. These are definitely a must add to your nightstand. I know you’ll love them. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review. Even a few words help.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SYNOPSIS:

A broken marriage.
A long road home.
A family she never stopped loving.

Melanie Haverly once left Silverleaf—and the powerful Kentucky horse-farm family behind it—determined to make her own way in the world.

Ten years later, everything has fallen apart.

With two teenagers and nowhere else to turn, Mel returns to the gates of Silverleaf…unsure if the family she hurt will ever truly welcome her back. But inside the grand house and rolling pastures, something unexpected is waiting.

Second chances. Old wounds that still need healing. And the powerful reminder that family—no matter how complicated—can still be the place where broken hearts begin to mend.

SILVERLEAF is the emotional first novel in a heartwarming and dramatic family saga set in the world of Kentucky thoroughbred racing. Perfect for fans of Robyn Carr, Susan Wiggs, and emotional family dramas like This is Us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

⭐️ USA TODAY BESTSELLER ⭐️

Kellie Coates Gilbert believes books should feel like both a vacation and a homecoming. Her novels invite you into the lives of women you’ll root for, cry with, and celebrate alongside. Whether you love small-town charm, sweeping settings that make you feel like you’re on a vacation, or heart-stirring family drama, you’ll find her stories feel like they were written just for you.

In addition to garnering thousands of five-star reviews, Kellie has been described by RT Book Reviews as a “deft, crisp storyteller.” Her books were featured as Barnes & Noble Top Shelf Picks and earned a coveted place on Library Journal’s Best Book List.

INTRODUCTION:

This is not a review but it is a Spotlight of a book I want to read. Life has gotten in the way this year and I haven’t had the time to read like I usually do. I’ve missed it. I wanted to post this Spotlight to bring to your attention a book that I think a lot of my fellow readers would love to read. I hope it catches your interest and is something you’ll enjoy!

SYNOPSIS:

The rain pours down, plastering his hair to his head and his shirt to his body. He takes my hand and puts it over his heart.

“See? Still beating.”

Pounding is more like it…

How do you let go of your first love when his memory still owns your heart?

Ten years ago, Robin’s world was cracked open by Jed—a brilliant, complicated young man who told her not to fall for him. But she did. She gave him everything, only to lose him to a chronic illness that was always waiting in the wings.

Now, Robin is finally rebuilding. She has a new career, a small but solid circle of support, and Nick—a funny, passionate, infuriatingly earnest guy who sees her for who she is. He doesn’t know about Jed. Or the play Jed wrote for her. Or that Robin has agreed to star in its long-overdue debut.

As opening night nears, Robin is haunted by what could have been—and by what still might be. She’s caught between honoring the past and claiming her future, between the person she was and the person she wants to become. And the more she tries to move forward, the more she wonders: is letting go an act of betrayal… or the bravest kind of love?

A deeply moving novel about grief, second chances, and the stories that shape us, The Next Breath will resonate with anyone who has ever tried to love again without forgetting where they started.


Winner of the 2024 Kindle Book Award (Romance)

What They’re Saying on Bookstagram & BookTok:
“I cried real tears and my heart still hurts… It was raw and emotional and deep. Will I forever recommend it? Yes.” -at Tonilynette

“Wanna a romance book that’s going to destroy you at 3 a.m?…The Next Breath will break your heat and leave you hopeful all at once.” -at andreabookster

“Warning! You’ll need tissues! This book touches love, loss, and finding the courage to move on, and it’s beautifully written!” -at sams_shelvess

“Deeply moving novel about grief, second chances, and the stories that shape us, The Next Breath will resonate with anyone who has ever tried to love again without forgetting where they started.” -at meganxmariex88

“Guys, at laurel_osterkamp destroys me in these books. This book is raw, emotional and a definite page turner.” -at joannasbookshelf

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laurel Osterkamp writes smart, emotionally rich fiction about messy relationships, creative reinvention, and the kind of love that leaves a mark. She’s the award-winning author of nearly a dozen novels, including Favorite Daughters and the #1 Amazon bestseller Beautiful Little Furies. Her newest novel, The Side Project, blends second-chance romance with literary flair—perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Annabel Monaghan, and anyone who loves bookish love stories with bite.

In addition to her novels, Laurel’s short fiction has appeared in literary journals across the web. When she’s not writing (which is rare), she teaches adult ESL and middle school enrichment classes, goes running with twisty audiobooks in her ears, and educates her daughter on the cultural importance of Beverly Hills, 90210.

She lives in Minneapolis with a family that loves to argue and cats that love to hiss. Ramona Quimby is her spirit animal.

Follow her on Instagram @laurel_osterkamp or subscribe to her newsletter at laurellit dot com for behind-the-scenes stories, book news, and reader extras.

REVIEW:

If you ask me Jill Hannah Anderson does not write enough books. She is such a good author and knows how to tell a story that will grab your heart and not let go. After We Break is one of those books you will never forget. My heart was torn in two and mended back together so many times in her new book.

This book is about a woman named Eden Everson who has worked her way up in the corporate world and it is sucking her life out of her. It is ruining her health and her relationship with her son. She is from a small town and desperately wants to move out of the big city, but is worried she will lose her son. She is divorced and has half custody. 

This book is about finding what is right for you and having the courage to go after what you want and making your life your own. Ms. Anderson writes about strong women. We sometimes think that being strong is not worrying and not having doubts about where your life is going. Jill shows us the other side of the story.

We meet some wonderful characters in this book. One in particular will stick with me a long time. He is a Viet Nam veteran whose name is David. While Eden was going through some boxes her mother left with her, she found a POW bracelet that her mother wore back in the 70’s. He is a wonderful man that left a big impression on my soul.

After We Break by Jill Hannah Anderson has so much going for it. I could go on forever with all the good points in the story. I won’t because I hope you will get your own copy of this book for your nightstand It truly is a wonderful book. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review. Even a few words help.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SYNOPSIS:

Single mom Eden Everson reaches a breaking point in her high-pressure career when her soul-sucking job affects her health and her relationship with her son, Ryan. Ready to jump from the corporate ladder but needing a safety net, she takes some time off to regroup.

While going through boxes from her childhood, she finds the Vietnam POW bracelet her mom wore decades ago. After checking online, she discovers the veteran, David, is alive and lives only two hours away. When Eden travels to the quaint Minnesota town of Crimson Creek to return the bracelet, she feels an immediate connection with the town, which reminds her of her youth and the lifestyle she craves.

During their marriage, Eden’s ex-husband chose their city life, pushing her up the corporate ladder to support that. Now, Eden wants to pursue her own dreams, but leaving the Twin Cities means possibly losing her son. Eden must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to reclaim the life she was meant to live.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jill Hannah Anderson writes about women determined to reclaim their lives. Stories of family, friendship, forgiveness, and fortitude. She lives on a lake in Minnesota with her husband. Jill’s new book, “After We Break”, released March 17, 2026. She is also the author of “Closer to Home”, “A Life Unraveled”, “Crazy Little Town Called Love”, and “The To Hell And Back Club”.