The Monarch by Michelle Davidson Argyle

I loved the book as it made the world of the CIA and DEA real and very grey in morals, good and bad on both sides.  It show as the life of an agent changes as Nick (the good guy) deals with his past memories while trying to protect his family from his past coming back to threaten their lives.  We love to call Michelle "the author with a reality check" because everything in her book is about action and consequence and how our choices WILL affect those around us and out of our reach without intending to.  It did have some language and drew very close to the line on an affair and treatment of a drug lords wife.  It does paint a very real image of what it is like to deal with people that have no value of the lives around them.  Excellent story that held its storyline with very few holes.

I just finished an excellent young pre-teen read. “Skipping Stones at the Center of the Earth” by Andy Hueller. It seemed slow until the pieces of the story started to fit together like a well made puzzle. I enjoyed the character development and situations thoughout the book that we all face in our youth even though we aren’t orphans ourselves. As we go through our mundane repeated efforts of our lives, even they may seem out of our control. We will choose, sometimes by attitude only, which direction life will take. Action and reaction are closely related in the entire story where little mistakes can change the course of our lives always.

Souls of Valor by Trudi Jackson

I don't know why but I tend to gravitate to books with harsh beginnings.  Trudi Jackson villianizes the cruelty of war well in this WWI book.  An American serves for money to survive in the drastically changing world at the start of the 1900's.  He carries the horrors of war and she finds that half away around the world (the wilds of northern Idaho) she can try to heal him through her brother (a doctor who cares for him in Europe).  It shows how purposes in life can make this world all too small as he ends up in the same untamed town as she had.  Two people so out of place to become part of it as life guides them together with mystery and hard lessons learned in the wild west mountains.  Excellent read for a feel of why those who went to escape the city, their past, or just to start life anew band together to survive in drastic siuations.

Eric Burtcher

The Trait

In this title, Kristin Damon offers a twist to romance that intrigues me.  As a guy, it held my interest because the mystery held you to the story with the government twist and issues the characters go through in life with self imposed limitations.  Be careful, the first chapter is harsh dealing with abortion issues and Brynn's guilt carries throughout the book.  Otherwise the story plays with the idea that innoculations in the early 20th century could have mutant possibilities which gets enhanced with future generations.  This is book 1 of 4.  Look at her blog we are following for other releases coming soon!