Blog Archives
A Soldier’s Burden
A Soldier’s Burden, by Natia Khaduri, translated by Mzia Kvirikasvili Lawrence, follows Colonel John Kartvelishvili, a Georgian peacekeeper in Afghanistan, whose military duty is entangled with prayer, moral exhaustion, and an unexpected bond with Sharon, a woman carrying her own history of violence, exile, faith, and maternal grief. What begins as a war-zone encounter becomes a story of restrained love, spiritual endurance, and the terrible cost of surviving when the heart has been repeatedly conscripted into pain.
I was most struck by how openly the novel lets its characters think and feel. John and Sharon don’t simply speak to each other; they argue with God, with memory, with the brutal arithmetic of war. The book has a devotional intensity that gives even ordinary gestures, a letter, a touch, a saved object, the weight of a sacrament. Sometimes the prose feels less like conventional realism and more like a long confession whispered beside a battlefield.
The emotional force of the book comes from its refusal to make love easy. Khaduri writes love as burden, refuge, debt, punishment, and grace, sometimes all in the same breath. The translation occasionally carries a raw, uneven cadence, but that roughness also gives the novel its unique feel; the sentences often feel bruised rather than polished, and that suits a story about people who have lived through more than language can neatly hold.
This book will speak most strongly to readers of military fiction, Christian fiction, war drama, romance, and women’s fiction. Readers who appreciate the spiritual suffering and moral questioning in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns may find a related ache here, though Khaduri’s novel is more prayerful and more openly philosophical. A Soldier’s Burden is a wounded love story with a soldier’s discipline and a mourner’s soul.
Pages: 282 | ASIN : B0CW1FWNH4
Confessions of a Female Dominant
Confessions of a Female Dominant follows Anastasia, Mistress Ana, a Soviet-born single mother in Sweden whose life is split between corporate polish, meticulous parenting, and the uncompromising world of BDSM. The novel traces her independence from childhood, her migration to Sweden, her life as a mother, and her intense entanglements with men such as Gabriel and Sven, turning what might have been a straightforward erotic confession into a story about control, loneliness, grief, class, desire, and the ache of being truly seen.
I found the book most compelling when it refused to flatter its narrator. Ana is funny, exacting, ruthless, tender, vain, exhausted, and sometimes startlingly self-aware. She can discuss laundry rooms, Swedish parental leave, kink etiquette, and heartbreak with the same unsentimental precision. That tonal collision gives the book its charge: domestic realism keeps walking into erotic extremity, and neither side is treated as a costume. The title promises provocation, but the deeper drama is not shock; it’s the narrator’s hunger for recognition beneath all her competence.
Ana may be a dominant, but the emotional weather often belongs to the people who withhold, disappear, need, or fail to understand her. The prose is sometimes blunt, but that roughness suits a narrator who thinks in schedules, appetites, wounds, and verdicts. I admired the moments when the book lets grief and absurdity sit side by side: a kink bag beside school routines, erotic command beside bodily fatigue, a woman performing strength while quietly begging not to vanish inside her own usefulness.
The target audience is mature readers drawn to erotic fiction, BDSM fiction, psychological fiction, women’s fiction, and unconventional romance. Readers of Fifty Shades of Grey may recognize the BDSM framework, but this book feels closer in spirit to the emotional candor of Melissa Broder or the severe self-examination of Catherine Millet than to glossy fantasy. Confessions of a Female Dominant is raw, idiosyncratic, and unexpectedly domestic. A book about a mistress who discovers that control is easier to command than tenderness. It’s not a story about domination so much as a story about the terror of being known.
Pages: 276 | ASIN : B0GS96HLFD
Formative Experiences
Actually Invisible centers around a gay high school teacher struggling with grief, marriage, and infertility as she faces public scrutiny following homophobic remarks from a student. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The idea for this novel came from many of my lived experiences as a human, but particularly as a queer public school teacher. We make headlines, but our fears and daily lives are so rarely described anywhere. I wrote the book I had always wanted to read.
The novel moves between past and present in a way that lets memory actively shape the story. How did you structure that timeline?
I structured the timeline by thinking about what kinds of formative experiences could have informed Josie’s present mindset. This took quite a bit of outlining, but I wanted to make sure I highlighted that she is—as we all are—a culmination of every experience we’ve ever had. I think it also humanizes her even more for the reader.
How did you approach the school storyline and the dynamics of public scrutiny?
I took some stories I had heard about in the news and on social media and essentially combined them with the fears that sometimes kept me up at night.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from Actually Invisible?
I hope readers take away the idea that all anyone wants is to feel seen, understood, and valued. We are all on this Earth searching for those things. Queer teachers are in a unique, complicated position where that experience can be dangerous, but it’s also worthwhile to take the risk, not only for ourselves and our mental health but also for representation for our students—queer and otherwise.
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…until a student comes out to her in a writing assignment, and she is thrust into a small-town spotlight. As the target of the student’s angry parents and a slew of anonymous threats, Josie must decide if it’s finally time to speak up for herself and risk her job, her family, and her ambivalence.
Actually Invisible
Actually Invisible is a contemporary literary novel that follows Josie Rein-Thompson, a gay high school English teacher trying to hold together grief, marriage, motherhood, fertility struggles, and a sudden wave of public scrutiny after a student’s homophobic comment turns her private life into a community issue. The book moves between Josie’s present-day life in 2019 and earlier moments from her youth, letting us see how her bond with her late father, her first experiences of desire, and her long habit of making herself smaller all feed into the woman she has become. By the end, the story brings those threads together in a way that feels earned, with Josie finding both public affirmation and a deeply personal bit of hope.
Author Elisa Greb does not try to make Josie neat or polished all the time, and I appreciated that. She is funny, sharp, insecure, loving, petty, generous, exhausted, and very believable. The voice has that intimate quality where it feels like someone is telling you the truth before they have had time to clean it up. I liked that a lot. The book is at its best when it trusts ordinary moments to carry emotional weight: a classroom exchange, a fertility appointment, a memory in a car, a glance across a room. Even when the novel gets heavy, it keeps its feet on the ground.
I also admired the author’s structural choices. The back-and-forth timeline could have felt busy, but here it works because the past is not just background. It keeps answering the present. Josie’s father is not treated like a sentimental device. He feels like a living force in the book, especially through the robin motif, which could have been too much in another novel but works here because it grows naturally out of memory, grief, and repetition. The school storyline is handled with more nuance than I expected. The novel is clearly angry about prejudice, but it is more interested in the daily wear of being made visible on other people’s terms, and in the quiet bravery it takes to stop apologizing for existing. That landed hard for me.
I would recommend Actually Invisible most to readers who like character-driven fiction, queer fiction, and contemporary literary novels that care more about emotional truth than flashy plot. It will especially speak to people drawn to stories about teachers, family grief, chosen family, and the strange mix of tenderness and fury involved in being seen clearly at last. I think readers who want a reflective, intimate novel with a steady heart will get the most from it. It is not trying to dazzle. It is trying to be honest. And for me, that honesty is exactly what gives it its power.
Pages: 298 | ASIN : B0CW1M5M7W
May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn
May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn is a work of contemporary women’s fiction with a strong romantic thread, set around an Umbrian agriturismo in Todi where a fresh round of guests arrive carrying private disappointments, old grief, and the quiet hope that a change of place might also become a change of life. Author Kimberly Sullivan brings together characters like Lisa, reeling after a public heartbreak, Antonio, an aging artist haunted by love and regret, Sharon, trapped inside a polished life that feels emotionally thin, and Margherita, a blocked novelist pushed out of isolation, then lets their stories brush against one another in ways that feel warm, restorative, and gently transformative.
I liked how readable and welcoming the novel feels. It has that lovely “settle in and stay awhile” quality that good comfort fiction can have. Sullivan clearly enjoys people, and that comes through in the way she gives each character a distinct ache, a private embarrassment, or a stubborn little defense mechanism that makes them feel human. I also liked the choice to structure the novel through multiple points of view. It creates a sense of emotional crosscurrent. Everyone arrives at the inn carrying something heavy, and the book keeps asking what happens when people are given beauty, routine, food, conversation, and just enough kindness to lower their guard.
I was especially drawn to the author’s interest in second chances. This is a story that understands that people bring themselves with them, even to beautiful places. Lisa’s hurt, Antonio’s bitterness, Sharon’s dissatisfaction, and Margherita’s fear do not disappear on command. They soften slowly. That felt honest. The book leans into coincidence and comfort in a way that is in line with its genre, and readers who like their fiction sharper or less emotionally tidy may notice that. Still, I found that the novel earns much of its warmth because it pays attention to loneliness, pride, and the awkwardness of starting over. It knows healing can be quiet. It can happen over coffee, over conversation, over the simple relief of being seen.
May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn is the kind of book I would recommend to readers who enjoy character-driven women’s fiction, cozy armchair travel, and romances where the emotional reset matters as much as the pairing off. It would especially suit someone who wants a hopeful read with an Italian backdrop, an ensemble cast, and a generous belief that life can open up again even after disappointment. For readers in the mood for something reflective, comforting, and quietly life-affirming, I think it will be a very satisfying stay.
ASIN : B0GLTQ967Q
Smoky Blue Sunrise, a return to Elizabeth’s Mountain
Smoky Blue Sunrise follows Jolie-Mae, a young woman crushed by guilt after the car crash that killed her younger sister, Katy, and wrecked her plans for medical school. She leaves coastal South Carolina and her grieving parents and takes a live-in job in the North Carolina mountains as nanny and companion in Jesse Taylor’s home, where he is raising his daughter Emma and baby Cameron after the loss of his wife. At the same time, Amanda, a doctor at the local hospital, tries to balance work, motherhood, and her own history with Elizabeth’s Mountain. Their lives knit together in this small town as Jolie tries to rebuild a self she can live with, and the looming threat of Hurricane Helene pushes every old wound and every new bond to the edge.
I really liked how grounded the writing felt. The first chapters around the party at Folly Beach and the crash were very emotional, and they set the tone for Jolie’s inner voice in a strong way. The scenes with Dr. Patel felt patient and honest, and I believed her slow, messy steps in therapy. The mountain setting came through in small details, not long descriptions. The book uses internal monologue, which moves scenes along methodically, yet the emotional payoff later made that investment feel worth it. The storm chapters land hard, with practical worries like power, road washouts, patients at the hospital, and also the simple fear of a child who hears a hurricane called a monster on the radio, and those pieces together gave the story real weight.
The book works best when it leans into survivor’s guilt and found family. Jolie’s sense that she is the “trigger” for her parents’ pain felt painfully real to me, and her choice to leave home did not feel like running away, more like a leap to save herself and maybe them, too. I also liked the bond that grows in the Taylor house, in small moments with Emma’s questions, in shared chores, in the way they circle around Elizabeth’s memory without turning her into a saint. The romance thread stays gentle and slow, and that fit the tone for me, since every character in this house is already carrying a lot.
I would recommend Smoky Blue Sunrise to readers who enjoy character-driven contemporary fiction, especially stories about grief, healing, and second chances in close-knit communities, and also to anyone who already knows Elizabeth’s Mountain and wants to see that world deepen. If you like quiet emotional arcs, domestic scenes that still carry tension, and a bit of storm-fueled suspense rather than nonstop action, this one will be for you.
Pages: 318 | ASIN : B0GFFRM4LQ
Living an Honest Life
Where Truth Lies Waiting follows a woman who has a traumatic accident that leaves her suspended between life and death, and develops a sixth sense, allowing her to hear the thoughts of those who visit her. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the setup of this story can be traced to my childhood. I was always fascinated with how people’s actions did not always match their spoken words. Say and do could be very different things. With this preoccupation, I always wondered what it would be like to know what people thought and how different it would be from what they shared verbally. As I got older and self-reflected, I realized that this “sixth sense” could be as harmful as it could be helpful in really knowing a person deeply.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
I feel that most people are pleasers. They will tell you what they think you want to hear. Honesty, on the other hand, does not flow as freely from people. I would also say that most people aspire to be good and do good. But being and doing good usually require sacrifice and giving. It is not always easy, and that is when things get interesting. In my opinion, the “what ifs” are what drive good fiction.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
One theme that is at the forefront of this novel is living an honest life. Honesty applies not only to others but to one’s own self and it can change over time, given how each of us changes and evolves. Forgiveness fits perfectly into this theme as there is bound to be a need for forgiveness as each of us searches for our own truth.
Another theme that was important for me to explore was the possibilities of what happens to us when we die. Our culture works hard at preserving youth and seeking longevity. Most people I know would not find a conversation about death and dying a very desirable topic. We tend to run from the one true fact that we are guaranteed in life: We will all die. Exploring it in fiction offers a safe space to imagine and consider, even for a moment.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
This is my third novel. At this point, I have been encouraged to write a sequel for my second novel, Three Days in Amsterdam. I am mulling that idea around. These three novels were written with a specific purpose. In all honesty, I am waiting to be inspired because that makes the pen flow with a fluidity that is magical. I strive for that magical inspiration always.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Amazon
See Tina Now. She lies in a hospital bed, her broken body tethered to life by tubes and machines. Suspended between life and death, Tina’s spirit lingers in a space where memories resurface, and questions arise.
Feel Tina’s struggle as she confronts the cracks in her once-ideal life. Her only connection to the world is her sight-until an unexpected sixth sense emerges, allowing her to hear the unspoken thoughts of those who visit her bedside. What begins as fascination soon turns unsettling, as their inner truths challenge everything Tina assumed she knew about her relationships and herself.
Piece by piece, Tina must rely on the raw, unfiltered thoughts of her visitors to uncover the mystery of how she ended up in this shattered state. Each memory offers a clue, shedding light on hidden truths and unresolved conflicts from her past.
In the end, as the cause of her tragic circumstances become clear, Tina gains a profound understanding- but it’s far from what she expected.
Tanja Davia’s third novel, Where Truth Lies Waiting, takes readers on an extraordinary journey into the liminal space between life and death. It explores the fragile balance of perception and truth, the weight of our choices, and the seemingly random events that shape our life. Yet, as Tina begins to wonder-are any of these events truly random?
Out of the Crash
Susan Poole’s Out of the Crash is a riveting novel that begins with a sudden tragedy and spirals into an emotional reckoning for two families in the small town of Shawnee Springs. Caroline Beasley, a breast cancer survivor and bestselling author, returns from a motivational speaking event only to find her son Kyle in a tailspin. At the same time, Ethan Shawver, a high school senior, learns that his beloved mother, Amy, has been fatally struck by a car while biking, a car driven by Kyle. The book follows the emotional fallout, not just from the accident itself, but from the long shadows of grief, guilt, and family strain that it casts. Told through alternating perspectives, it weaves a tense and heartfelt portrait of trauma and how lives can fall apart and rebuild after a single moment.
I was completely pulled in by Poole’s style. Her writing has a natural rhythm, unforced and full of small, familiar details that make the characters feel like people I know. The dialogue felt real, awkward, warm, and messy, and the use of social media and group texts to open the story made it like something from the present day. Caroline’s complicated: resilient but vulnerable, confident but riddled with guilt. Watching her struggle with motherhood, ambition, and marriage felt all too real. Ethan’s side of the story was just as gripping. His pain was raw, unfiltered. The scene when he finds out about his mother’s death actually made me tear up. There’s something honest in how Poole handles grief. Not in a grand way, but in the everyday chaos it causes.
The middle dipped slightly as characters circled the same emotions, and I found myself wanting more movement in the plot. But then again, real grief doesn’t follow a tight arc, and maybe that’s the point. The book is strongest when it focuses on the interior lives of its characters. It doesn’t rely on big twists. It leans into emotional honesty, which is brave and a little brutal. There are moments when I didn’t like the characters much, Kyle’s denial, Jordan’s detachment, Caroline’s self-righteousness, but I never stopped caring about them. That’s the magic. Poole makes it hard to look away even when things get uncomfortable.
I’d recommend Out of the Crash to readers who appreciate layered family stories that don’t shy away from hard truths. If you liked Little Fires Everywhere or Ask Again, Yes, this one will be right up your alley. It’s a book for people who aren’t afraid to sit in the middle of the storm and wait for the quiet to come. And if you’ve ever been a parent, a child, or someone trying to hold it together when your world is falling apart, this story will resonate with you.
Pages: 291 | ASIN : B0F89DSZHM
