Blog Archives
Literary Titan Gold Book Award: Fiction
The Literary Titan Book Award honors books that exhibit exceptional storytelling and creativity. This award celebrates novelists who craft compelling narratives, create memorable characters, and weave stories that captivate readers. The recipients are writers who excel in their ability to blend imagination with literary skill, creating worlds that enchant and narratives that linger long after the final page is turned.
Award Recipients
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver Book Award
Celebrating the brilliance of outstanding authors who have captivated us with their skillful prose, engaging narratives, and compelling real and imagined characters. We recognize books that stand out for their innovative storytelling and insightful exploration of truth and fiction. Join us in honoring the dedication and skill of these remarkable authors as we celebrate the diverse and rich worlds they’ve brought to life, whether through the realm of imagination or the lens of reality.
Award Recipients
Crimson Hearts by Susan Reed-Flores
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
The Secret Hamlet
The Secret Hamlet, the second installment in The Harmonie Books Series by Brian Barnes and Judith Briles, is a sprawling historical fiction novel that blends medieval intrigue, mystical elements, and family drama in a 1000 AD setting. The story follows Nichol, a brave and intuitive young woman gifted with a mysterious spiritual connection, as she gives birth to her daughter Lucette under extraordinary circumstances. As whispers of witchcraft and danger spread, Nichol, her husband Robert, and a group of devoted allies, including a loyal dog, a monk turned farmer, and a wise matriarch, are forced to flee, seeking safety in a secret land revealed to Nichol through visions. This is a tale of survival, belief, and the forging of a new community amidst threats from both church and state.
Reading this book pulled me into a richly painted world, and I often found myself surprised by how real the characters felt. The writing flows like a familiar story told around a fire. There were moments when the dialogue felt a bit modern for the time period, but honestly, that made it more personal. What stood out most was how the authors balanced the mystical with the grounded. I didn’t expect to care so deeply about a donkey named Moki or find a newborn’s connection to light so emotionally moving, but those scenes resonated with me. The pacing slows down at times with a lot of description, but the story always picks up again with a new challenge or twist that pulled me back in.
What I really appreciated was the heart behind the ideas. This isn’t just a book about a woman escaping danger. It’s about trust, rebuilding from nothing, and holding on to light when others call it darkness. The theme of found family shines bright throughout, and that really resonated with me. I also liked that the mystical “Lady” guiding Nichol isn’t explained too much. She’s a force, not a plot device. That restraint actually made her presence more powerful. The final chapters, where they start building their new haven, gave me chills. There’s real hope in those pages.
If you love historical fiction that leans into emotion and magic without turning into a fantasy epic, this book is worth your time. It’s perfect for readers who want strong women leads, tight-knit communities, and a little mystery wrapped in old-world charm. I’d especially recommend it to book clubs. There’s so much here to talk about, from gender roles to spiritual belief to survival under persecution. This is a warm, soulful book that doesn’t shy away from darkness but still manages to feel like a candle flickering in it. I closed it feeling deeply moved.
Pages: 428 | ASIN : B0CRXRD3JH
Global History and Politics
Jigsaw: Sonora follows a group of ideological extremists who travel back in time to WWI to alter history, and a group of temporal guardians must stop them before their plan unfolds. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Excellent question. Most of the attention given to World War I seems to center on what happened on the Western and Eastern Fronts in Europe. Outside of the Zimmerman Telegram, little attention is given to the efforts to keep the United States out of the war or keep many of their military assets occupied on the Southern Border. This book touches on that as well as the origins of the Influenza virus in that period and the attack on Wall Street, where a real one did take place in 1920.
What intrigues you about this time period enough to write such a thrilling novel in this era?
This time period influenced global history and politics for the next century, from World War II to the Cold War, to the growth of the United States’ influence, to the advance of the modern welfare state and labor movement, to the creation of modern nations and nationalist movements that are still with us today.
What was your favorite scene in this story?
The climax on the Zepplein Sonora. I do not want to spoil the climax for readers, so I will leave it there.
Can you tell us where the book goes and where we’ll see the characters in the next book?
Yes. The next book, Jigsaw: Shadow Ball is already out where our Time Traveling heroes have to save the creation of the Negro Leagues in the 1920’s and the integration of Major League Baseball in the 1940’s with Larry Doby and the Cleveland Indians. That adventure will be followed in 2026 with Jigsaw: Temporal Apocalypse, where our heroes have to stop the ultimate attempt to change reality in the post-World War I Era by disrupting events in Italy/Yugoslavia over Fiume and the Russian/Polish War.
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Renegade Novus Ordo operatives have formed Global Harmony and have launched Project Sonora, a plan to draw the United States out of World War One, start a continental war in the Americas, and unleash a genetically coded pathogen that would cause population segments to fall to the Influenza Virus.
The Temporal Guardians, led by Francesca and Noah must stop Global Harmony before the Forces of Evil can change history and destroy reality.
Revenge of the Sisters: A Tale of Retribution (Regina of Warsaw)
After reading Revenge of the Sisters, by Geri Spieler, I found myself drawn into a deeply emotional and powerfully layered story. The book follows Rose, Josie, and Dorothy, three Jewish sisters raised in a Los Angeles orphanage during the 1930s, who come together years later to plot subtle, lawful revenge against the people and institutions that wronged them during their youth. Their stories unfold in tightly woven chapters that alternate between past and present, focusing on themes of justice, resilience, and the long shadows of childhood trauma. As their adult lives intersect with those of their old enemies, the sisters slowly and strategically reclaim the power that was denied them.
Spieler’s writing has a raw, heartfelt honesty that hit me square in the chest. The dialogue feels natural, like it came from real memories. I especially loved how Spieler gave each sister her own voice. Rose, so driven and methodical; Josie, sharp-tongued and creative; Dorothy, bold and defiant with a reporter’s instinct. The writing doesn’t shy away from the harsh truths of prejudice, poverty, and injustice, but it also manages to stay warm, even tender, especially in the family scenes. The pacing is careful and deliberate. It takes its time, but I never felt bored. Each scene deepens your understanding of these women and what shaped them.
The ideas behind the book moved me even more than the plot. Spieler touches on systemic inequality, anti-Semitism, and the long-lasting sting of being overlooked. It got under my skin. There’s no cartoon villain here, just flawed people and flawed systems. What really struck me was how the sisters seek revenge not through violence or chaos, but through intelligence, patience, and a kind of poetic justice. It made me think hard about how often women, especially poor and marginalized women, are expected to just “move on” from harm, and how cathartic it can be when they don’t. I found myself rooting for them, not just because they’d been wronged, but because they deserved to win.
Revenge of the Sisters is a quiet but powerful novel that simmers with righteous anger and hard-won love. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy stories about family bonds, historical settings, and justice served cold. I’d especially recommend it to fans of character-driven fiction with heart and grit.
Pages: 276 | ASIN : B0F7K14NC2
The House on Chambers Road: A Ghost Story
C.J. McGroarty’s The House on Chambers Road is a haunting and richly layered novel that weaves historical fiction, supernatural mystery, and emotional healing into a single narrative. It’s the story of Libby Casey, a grieving widow who stumbles across a colonial-era Georgian house that seems to call to her in unexplainable ways. As she peels back the layers of the house’s past, she also confronts the secret weight of her own guilt and sorrow, both of which refuse to stay buried. The novel dances back and forth in time, from present-day Pennsylvania to 18th-century colonial life, slowly knitting together the lives of those long gone with the living.
Reading this book felt like stepping into a fog and watching ghosts take shape—slowly, deliberately, with elegance and dread in equal measure. McGroarty’s writing is lush without being showy. Her descriptions pull you in gently and don’t let go. I loved the way the house became almost a character of its own, whispering through the walls, sighing through the floorboards. There’s something beautiful and sad about the way McGroarty captures grief—how it lingers in quiet rooms and unfinished conversations. Libby felt real to me in a way that made her struggles hit close to home. Her grief isn’t tidy. It’s jagged and painful, and that’s what makes her story compelling.
Some scenes stretched a beat too long, and I found myself wanting the plot to move faster, especially during moments of introspection. But then McGroarty would reel me back in with a sudden, eerie detail—a glove that doesn’t belong, a name whispered in the night, a dream that bleeds into memory. These small, chilling touches reminded me why I was hooked in the first place. The historical chapters, in particular, were vivid and emotionally resonant. Hugh and Miranda’s story added a quiet gravity, grounding the supernatural in something relatable.
The House on Chambers Road is a gentle, unsettling, and beautifully told story about memory, loss, and the way the past lingers just beneath the surface of the present. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy ghost stories with depth, character-driven fiction, or novels that explore the thin veil between history and now. If you’ve ever loved a house so much it felt like it loved you back, this book is for you.
Pages: 286 | ISBN: 1956615490
Kitty Schmidt – My Life as a Prostitute
Pablo Zaragoza’s Kitty Schmidt: My Life As A Prostitute is a raw and emotional novel told through the discovered diaries of a fictionalized Katharina “Kitty” Schmidt. The story begins in post-war Berlin with a renovation worker, Paul, unearthing a secret compartment containing journals that reveal the harrowing and complex life of Kitty, a poor butcher’s daughter who becomes the madam of a high-class brothel. Through her vivid and at times unsettling voice, the reader travels from childhood trauma to sexual awakening, and ultimately to a dark but empowering life built in defiance of a cruel, male-dominated world. The narrative folds history and personal suffering into a confessional tapestry that is as gut-wrenching as it is honest.
The language is plainspoken but layered with emotion. Kitty’s voice is full of pain, grit, anger, and sometimes surprising humor. Her observations on war, love, men, and shame are deeply felt and uncomfortably real. I found myself torn, at times revolted by what she endured and at others quietly cheering her cunning, her resilience, and even her tenderness in the face of horror. There’s something deeply moving in the way Kitty carries the weight of generations of women who were used, cast aside, or forgotten, and decides to write her truth anyway.
The writing walks a tightrope. Some passages are lyrical and even poetic, while others are brutally stark. The transitions between historical commentary and personal storytelling can be jarring. But honestly, that messiness added to the charm for me. Kitty’s world is cracked and chaotic, and the structure reflects that. What I appreciated most was that the book didn’t fall into the trap of making Kitty a saint or a martyr. She is complicated. She profits off other women. She manipulates. She survives. And I believed every word she wrote because the character was built with such emotional clarity.
If you’re drawn to historical fiction with grit, if you like character studies that go deep into the soul of a person, flaws, sins, strengths, and all, Kitty Schmidt: My Life As A Prostitute is worth your time. It’s not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for those who want a sanitized version of history, but it is a very compelling read.
Pages: 210 | ASIN : B0F44SDGDY
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