A Brief History of Longing by Jea Hawkins

GENRE: LGBTQ, Coming of Age

Unrequited love sucks but can lead to better things. This book does a great job of taking you on the rollercoaster ride that is loving your best friend and watching them live a party life. The main character Gwen, turns this into a successful comic book that seems to touch a wide audience. Her success though keeps her in a rut that she must break out of at the end. This story is something almost anybody to related to on some level.

The Hangover (The Vincenti Series #3) by Emma Nichols

GENRE: Lesbian Romance

Although this book had Lauren and Anna in it it focused mainly on Anna's best friend Eva. It was a good direction to take to keep the story fresh. When you have a series the more charaters you can intertwine the longer the life of the series. Especially if the characters are as stron as the ones Nichols creates. Hoping to see more in this series.

Remember Us (The Vincenti Series #2) by Emma Nichols

GENRE: Lesbian Romance

This is the second book in the series. Lauren is back in Corsica trying to regain her memory while Anna tries to deal with the fact that she has been forgotten. The story picks up where the last left off nicely. There is more complexity to the characters and that leads to more complexity in the plot. We also get to know a little more about characters that were minor in the first book. A quick read that I recommend but read the first book before this one or you will be confused.

Finding You (The Vincenti Series #1) by Emma Nichols

GENRE: Lesbian, Romance

The description of the book makes it seem like your typical romance but I can assure youit is so much better than that. Nichols takes what seems like a "plot in a box" and makes it her own with engaging characters and settings. It was an enjoyable read. So much so I had to get the next book.

Chaos Comes(After the EMP #4) by Harley Tate

GENRE: Post Apocalyptic, Action/Adventure

This is a continuation of the After the EMP series. This is a more of a companion trilogy since it mirroers the timeline of events in Darkness Begins. The characters are connected since Colt is the air marshall on the flight that Madison's dad was the pilot.

It is a tale of survival and finding allies in unexpected places. Colt finds his in a street child named Dani. This is just the beginning of their story. It is a well written, entertaining book with engaging characters and plot

Ship Ablaze:The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum by Edward T. O'Donnell

GENRE: History, Disaster

This was a good book about alittle known tragedy. The General Slocum was a steamer that traveled on the rivers that surrounded New York City. Often these ships were used by groups for excursions to the shore or picnic areas up river. On June 15, 1904 a German church group had booked passage. It was mainly women and children.

As the book title suggest the worst thing that could happen on a ship did when it caught on fire. The early 1900's were still a time of corruption and profit over safety. This helped lead to the deaths of over 1,000 people.

The story in this book is a timely warning to us as safety laws are rolled back for profits. It was a well written and researched tale. We need to heed the warnings of our past so as not to repeat them with larger tragedies.

Empires Fall (MidKnight Blue #2) by Sherryl D. Hancock

GENRE: Crime, Romance, Action

Hancock continues the saga of Midnight and the F.O.R.S. gang as they try to take down one of the biggest cartel men. As usual the characters are deep and the plot flows with ease. You begin to see the fatal flaws of our hero's. I loved that we learned more about Joe Sinclair. Hancock creates a family within her chracters and sometimes you just want to reach into the book and smack some sense into them but I guess that is what makes them such strong personalities on paper. Not everyone can develop a person with words but Sherryl D. Hancock soes it with ease. I look forward to more of her books.

Building Empires ( MidKnight Blue #1) by Sherryl D. Hancock

GENRE: Crime, Action, Romance

This book is a spin off of another series that Sherryl D. Hancock writes but slightly different in that the primary characters are not lesbians. That said you will see some of those characters in this book because all is intertwined in the world Hancock creates.

This is the in depth introduction to Midnight Chevalier. As always Hancock does a fantatstic job creating characters and Midnight does not disappoint as the tough, no nonsense female protagonist. There is more violence in this book but that is indicitive of the life Midnight lives. It is also what you would expect from this character and her motley crew of unlikely heros.

I love everything Hancock writes because she focuses on allowing the character drive the story and her characters are amazingly developed. I have already recommended the MidKnight Blue series to friends who love crime stories and romance and action andjust good writing. Pretty much anyone who likes to read.

From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller

GENRE: Coming of Age, YA
Michele G. Miller tells the story of a teenage girl who's life has been turned upside down by a tornado. Jules loses a lot but she also learns alot about herself. This book is almost written in the form of introspection. The main character, Jules, is the narrator as she makes her senior year video.  It is from this unique perspective we hear the story.

I liked the different form of flashback. The plot was scattered in some places but I feel that was on purpose because that was how Jules was feeling at the time. Miller takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions throughout the novel. She starts with the innocence of being young then uses the tornado to throw it all in turmoil. It was almost like the tornado was a metephor for the trials of growing up but put in a physical form that can be understood.

 This would be a coming of age novel but with a forceful punch. Death is a hard lesson but so is out growing what you know and are comfortable with. Losing your first love and friends is a traumatic experience no matter how it happens.

A sequel to this book has been written and I hope to read it soon. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys coming of age books or YA literature.

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

GENRE: Coming of Age, Lesbian

I love being a rebel and reading books that have been banned before. This book showed a lesbian relationship in a positive light which is what earned it the ban.

Nancy Garden did a magnificent job of capturing the angst of first love. This in itself can be hard but add to the mix it being love that is scorned by society and you have a new level of coming of age story. This book was originally published in 1992 which can be picked up from some of the descriptions, none the less, the basis of the story is still relevant today. This story will make you cheer, cry, and want to hit someone with anger. It is a fantastic book.

The Smallest thing by Lisa Manterfield

GENRE: YA, Coming of Age

Emmott just wants to escape her small town. She has plans even. Then suddenly people start getting sick and dying. No one is allowed to leave. It is more than rebellousness now, it is life or death.

The character of Emmott in the beginning you just want to slap she is so negative and self centered. As the story, and the plauge, goes on you see her grow. The emotions this book evoke are real. The fact that it is adapted and modernized from a true story make it stronger. I just wish I knew that fact in the beginning.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

GENRE: Coming of Age

The point of view and the perspective of this story was spot on. I really likes the characters of Simon and Blue. Keeping the suspense until the end who Blue was was great. There were points in this book I laughed out loud. Others just made me feel uncomfortable for the charcters, which is a good thing. This is a romance with innocence.

After The EMP (The Darkness Trilogy) by Harley Tate

GENRE: Post Apocalyptic

What would you do if the sun just ended life as you knew it? This is the saga of one family's struggle to survive and find each other. Tate created believable charcters and kept the pace very fast. Also reseach was done for this to use a CME rather than a typical EMP. It was a really fast read and I am looking forward to the next trilogy.

Necessary Sacrifice by Noelle Winter

GENRE: Murder Mystery, Lesbian Romance

Noelle Winter develops a great murder mystery and entwines a lesbian romance within it. The two main protagonists are both doing their best to aviod any feelings what-so-ever by burying themselves in their work. The passion for their work, though, leads them to cross paths as they work together to solve a series of horrific crimes. An enjoyable, fast paced read.

Taking Flight by Siera Maley

GENRE: Coming of Age, Lesbian Romance

This is a coming of age book and like most of this genre you begin by not really liking the main charcter, in this case Lauren. She seems spoiled and just very unlikable. As the story progresses you get to see Lauren evolve and become more of her true self without the defensive walls.

This is a very character driven book and does deal with some (sadly) typical issues of LGBTQ young people. Maley does a great job of making you feel what the characters feel and taking you along for the ride.

Of All The Girls by Michele L. Rodriguez

GENRE: Coming of Age, Lesbian Romance

Not your typical lesbian romance but that is what makes it so good. Rivera shows the complexity of relationships of all kinds as well as feelings. Maybe not this exact situation but I think we can all relate to having those conflicted feeling that the charcters feel throughout the story. I wouldlike to see a sequel to this book because I want to know what happens.

Getting Out ( The EMP Book 1) by Ryan Westfield

GENRE: Post-Apocalyptic

Getting Out shows how normal people would deal with a life changing, worldwide even such as an EMP. I use normal loosely because most people probably do not even know what an EMP is but that is just the way it is. None of the characters are hard core "preppers" but they all know how to survive. It was a fast read with a few glitches but nothing that would ruin the story.

Into the Hurricane by Neil Connolly

GENRE: Action, Coming of Age, YA

This was a very goodcoming of age novel that pitted two teenagers not only againsttheir own anger, guilt and depression but also a hurricane. These two strangers reluctantly at first team up to help each other and in the process find themselves again.

Connelly did a good job of setting the scene and showing us what was inside the characters minds. As a reader you got to see them evolve and grow. It created fairly complex characters. It was a quick and enjoyable read.