Dear Maude by Denise Liebig

Dear Maude is Book 1 of The Dear Maude Trilogy written by Denise Liebig.

Emily Stanton manages to graduate from college under a scholarship from Evergreen Research Corporation with the strict condition that she will work for the company after graduation. Smart and tough albeit a little bit naïve and with high moral standards, Emily proves to be much more than another former scholarship student but a great asset to the company. However, as Emily learns eventually, Evergreen Research is not an ordinary nor a traditional employer. The type of research they are engaged in is something Emily never thought possible, going back in time and changing the past to benefit a few. 

When Emily realizes that the people around her are not what she thinks they are, she finds out how vulnerable she is in a place and a time where and when she has no one and she has nothing except a journal she writes on as she pretends to communicate with her deceased aunt Maude and takes comfort in one familiar object, an old suitcase that belonged to her dead great aunt.  

This is a very interesting, intriguing, absorbing and thought-provoking book that will keep the reader glued to every page. To borrow a line from Alice in Wonderland, it keeps getting ‘curiouser and curiouser.’ Moreover, though time travel is not at all a very original concept, the events that take place in the story make up for the banality of the subject matter. The corsets, the gowns, the balls, the trip to the opera and the horseback riding and other lessons give the story glamor and substance that make this book very enjoyable to read.  The author creates admirable and endearing protagonists as well as shameless and contemptible villain.     

Though the book is part of a trilogy, it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone and the ending, though a little cliffhanger, is not only satisfactory but also satisfying.

Congratulations to Denise Liebig (@DeniseWithWords ) on such a great book! For more books by the author, click HERE.

Linear Shift by Paul B Kohler

Peter Cooper is a widower raising his children, Tori and Brett. Since his wife’s death several months ago, life has been difficult for all of them. Losing his job does not help either. So, when an unexpected visitor comes with a life-changing offer, to settle his financial problems if he would go back to 1942 and change a moment in time, Peter initially falls for the financial assistance he so badly needed, then thinks of the consequences after.

The best part of this book is the character development. The author was able to paint a vivid picture of a man consumed by grief over the loss of his precious wife but struggling to be strong for his children. The disruption and devastating effect of such an ordeal were thoughtfully portrayed in Tori’s difficult behavior and Brett’s silence as the two children pulled away from their father.

However, this book is too short to be enjoyed.  For one, without a culmination, nor a denouement, the plot is incomplete as there is no resolution in the end. Though I understand that this is only the first of a four-part series, I could say, the initial excitement and interest built in the first part might be lost unless the reader reads the second part and the rest of the book. This may entice some readers but may disappoint others.

Either way, I enjoyed this part of the book and since I, incidentally, got lucky to get the entire series when they were still free on Amazon, I already decided to read the rest of the series eventually.

Congratulations to Paul B Kohler (@PaulBKohler)on such an interesting book. Click HERE for more books by Peter B Kohler.  

For the Love of Suzanne by Kristi Hudecek Ashwill

Recently widowed from her abusive husband, Beau, Suzanne found herself magically transported to New Mexico in the yer 1860. She met an Indian agent, Cody Black Fox, who helped her out of her burning car.

As she got lost in the wrong place at the wrong time, Suzanne found herself falling in love with Cody who was falling just as much in love with her. Though Cody wanted to keep her for himself, he knew the right thing to do was to help her go back to where she came from, wherever that was. So, with a gang of Chiricahua warriors after them, Cody led Suzanne all the way to Arizona where, he thought, she would better be off.

Ultimately, this is a story of mutual selfless love; the kind of love that gives without taking any and that which does without expecting anything in return. This is a love story that makes a reader wish the same for herself.

However, there were several scenes that are too gruesome and gory for my taste. I believe though that those were the ways of the time and the author simply and successfully brought them out in her novel.

Congratulations Kristi Hudecek-Ashwill (@khudecek) for a wonderful book! Good luck!

Click HERE to view For the Love of Suzanne in my bookshelf at Online Book Club.