Red Mansions-Cynthia Drew

Red Mansions Cynthia Drew Daniel & Daniel Publishers, May 5 2014, $15.95 ISBN: 9781564745576 At the turn of the century, following the Cossack burning of their Jewish village Lucava and murder of their parents for their dad’s seditious activities; teen Carsie Akselrod and her tweener sister Lila escape with help from disgraced Cossack Mikheladze and tavern owner Max Siegel. The siblings make it to New York living in the overcrowded Lower East Side and working at the Triangle Waist Company. Max joins them and marries Carsie (see City of Slaughter) who fulfills her dream by opening up a millinery shop and raising two daughters Sarit and Sophia. During WWI, Max joins the military and dies overseas. His grieving widow eventually marries wealthy Chat Nussbaum who becomes a loving stepfather to Carsie’s daughters while living in affluent Red Mansions. When the Great Depression devastates America leading to the closing of her shop, Jews like Carsie and her family are hit additionally hard because of their religion. Though it behooves the audience to first read City of Slaughter to learn more about Carsie’s Russian roots, Red Mansions can stand alone as an excellent historical fiction that focuses on a Jewish immigrant’s life in New York during WWI, the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression. Once again character driven by courageous Carsie as she watches loved ones suffer or learn they died along with her dreams, but still she holds her head up high as she tries be there for those she cares about. Harriet Klausner

Sparrow Hill Road-Seanan McGuire

Sparrow Hill Road Seanan McGuire Daw, May 6 2014, $16.00 ISBN: 9780756409616 In 1952 Buckley Township, Michigan, Bobby Cross used as his fee for immortality his soul and the vehicular murder of teenager Rose Marshall when he ran her off of Sparrow Hill Road. Over the next six decades since Cross killed Rose, he has slayed many others. During those the same sixty plus years, there have been numerous sightings of a young woman hitchhiking and stopping at the Last Chance Diner for a malted; most Michiganians believe the hitcher is Rose, the Ghost of Sparrow Hill Road among her other nicknames. Rose feels strongly that her mission is to help the newly deceased quickly adapt to the afterlife. On a personal level, she also hunts Cross who has sent so many (starting with her) to their grave before their time should have been up as remittance for his evil young existence. Sparrow Hill Road is a great ghost tale told in four interconnecting “Books” with Rose holding the storyline focused even while the plot deftly leaps between several different years. Readers will enjoy Rose’s chronicles as she helps those like Larry the Trucker move on; while she also learns that true love never dies, and life and death (regardless of when) are a circle in her case on Sparrow Hill Road. Harriet Klausner >

Beach Bar Baby-Heidi Rice

Beach Bar Baby Heidi Rice Harlequin Kiss, May 1 2014, $5.99 ISBN: 9780373178971 Needing to escape London, Ella Radley goes on a solo vacation in Bermuda. However, she feels like odd person out at Paradiso Cove Resort since the other twelve guests are on their respective honeymoons. After six days of boring American soap operas and dreaming of baking cupcakes, Ella decides to join the six couples on a snorkeling adventure. When she meets exciting Jezebel Captain Cooper Delaney, out of character Ella decides to join him in a one-night stand though she feels she is cradle robbing when she finds out she is six years older than the hunk. Ella returns to ennui in London until Cooper arrives on a business trip and needs to see her. She seems different to him, but he cannot quite figure out why. Ella knows she owes her captain an explanation, but struggles to tell him why she is different as she fears striking out if she swings the bat. This is an entertaining romance as both protagonists handle their love poorly because of different trepidations. Readers will enjoy this engaging poignant contemporary as love may not be enough to overcome “cowardice” counter reactions. Harriet Klausner

Sex, Lies & Her Impossible Boss-Jennifer Rae

Sex, Lies & Her Impossible Boss Jennifer Rae Harlequin Kiss, May 1 2014, $5.99 ISBN: 9780373178988 TV station manager Cash Anderson places Faith Harris’ show Sexy Sydney near the top of the cancelation list because the program fails to bring in advertising money. Faith argues that her show is not just about sex but much more as she insists Sexy Sydney focuses on loving relationships. Feeling a bit foolish as the bottom line screams cancellation, Cash gives Faith one week to prove her show deserves to remain on the air by proving Sexy Sydney provides a needed service to the community and will one day bring in revenue. To make her case, Faith decides to perform the Sexy Sydney routine on Cash, her relationship phobic boss, though her real experience is limited. As they fall in love, each needs the other to eradicate the demons preventing them from embracing a meaningful caring relationship. Aptly titled, this is an enjoyable, amusing yet passionate romance. Though not a new premise, Faith and Cash are fascinating individuals who make the case that a loving whole is greater than the sum of the emotionally scarred individual parts. Harriet Klausner

Secret Of The Stars- Andre Norton

Secret Of The Stars Andre Norton Baen, May 6 2014, $14.00 ISBN: 9781476736747 “Secret of the Lost Race.” In JetTown, Port of N'Yok, Joktar the orphan works as a dealer at Kern’s SunSpot casino when a sweep shanghaied him as slave laborer bound for another world. However, before being deployed, an Intergalactic Scout accuses Joktar of murder, which leads to his exile to the galaxy’s worst hellhole, iced Fenris to toil and die in the vile mines. Knowing his fate if sent into this hell, Joktar flees for his life taking a chance on surviving the frozen tundra rather than the relentless men in gray who fear he learns the truth about his heritage. “Star Hunter.” At the Starfall dump in Nahautl's starport, Vye Lansor works as a swamper cleaning up puke, crap, blood and body parts from the lowlifes who frequent this dive. Ras Hume the Out-Hunter hires Vye to join his next safari on Jumala, but hides his real interest in his new recruit. He and his partner know that the Heir Rynch Brodie died during a crash on Jumala that no one survived; they plan to use a memory-altered Vye masquerading as Rynch who upon bringing him home will make them rich. On Jumala, though Vye has some strange memories of having been there as the heir, but he also retains other conflicting thoughts. Forerunners of later series, these are reprints of two fun five-decade plus old outer space operas in which the respective worlds seem real. Readers will root for the orphaned protagonists to survive the dangerous planets and their much more powerful adversaries. Harriet Klausner

Darkest Flame-Donna Grant

Darkest Flame Donna Grant St. Martin's, Apr 29 2014, $7.99 ISBN: 9781250041364 M15 sends agents Denae Lacroix and Matt “the prick” to breach Dreagan Industries in Scotland. Though Denae does not know the objective, inside a cave the American operative carries on the mission until her partner tries to wound her. Matt explains she is bait to lure those residing on Dreagan Land out into the open; but instead she kills him although Denae is severely hurt. The furor wakes up Kellen the long dormant Bronze Dragon King, who uses his human form to investigate. Kellen finds the injured Denae and takes her to his manor house though centuries of loathing her kind since a betrayal wants him to leave her dead in spite of his attraction to the intruder; she feels the strong desire too. Neither trusts one another due to her failed mission as she realizes he and his community were M15 targets for some unknown reason and he believes her trespassing and killing of her partner were for a nefarious goal to harm his kind. This delightful Dark Kings romantic fantasy (see Dark Heat anthology) is a wonderful entry in the Grant universe that saga fans (see the Dark Sword and Dark Warrior series) will enjoy as the Dark Fae uses M15 to expose and destroy their enemies The Dragon Kings. The star-crossed romance seems doomed by mutual distrust yet also longing gives it a longshot’s chance. Harriet Klausner

The Pink Suit-Nicole Mary Kelby

The Pink Suit Nicole Mary Kelby Little, Brown, Apr 29 2014, $26.00 ISBN: 9780316235655 Kate came from the Great Island in Cobh, Ireland to work as a seamstress in Manhattan’s Chez Ninon Boutique, owned by upper crust Sophie Sonnard and Nona Park. The thirtyish Kate never comes out of the back room while sewing; as others do the fittings. Musing over how she only knows the Blue Book elite who buy her outfits if they are newsworthy photo famous enabling her to recognize her work. On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline, who rarely accompanied her husband on these trips, are in Dallas when he is assassinated. Watching on TV, Katie recognizes The Pink Suit and other wardrobe items that she created for the widowed First Lady worn at that fatal event. Struggling to accept the tragedy due to the now iconic infamous Pink Suit haunting her; Katie’s boyfriend Patrick Harris the butcher wants to marry her. Instead Katie turns to what she knows about Jackie from the media to guide her through her grief. This is an intriguing historical that uses the JFK assassination to tell the tale of a working class immigrant creating the wardrobe of the rich and famous. The well-written storyline comes across as a biographical and historiographical fiction with entertaining tidbits like the extraordinary care that goes into what the First Lady wore in public and the enormous classes’ divide that seems more prominent today. Although major events of the tumultuous 1960s (except for the assassination) are ignored and the protagonist’s relationships (except to the Pink Suit and Jackie) are underdeveloped, readers will appreciate this entertaining slice of the rise and fall of Camelot through the eyes of a troubled seamstress. Harriet Klausner