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Editorial Content for The Enchanted Hacienda

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

Summer flowers are magical, and in THE ENCHANTED HACIENDA, J.C. Cervantes makes that idea a reality. The Estrada women have magic running through their veins, and it’s most apparent at their flower farm in Mexico, where they grow flowers that are "just" beautiful and ones that perform beautiful magic. Read More

Teaser

When Harlow Estrada is abruptly fired from her dream job and her boyfriend proves to be a jerk, her world turns upside down. She flees New York City to the one place she can always call home --- the enchanted Hacienda Estrada. The Estrada family farm in Mexico houses an abundance of charmed flowers cultivated by Harlow’s mother, sisters, aunt and cousins. By harnessing the magic in these flowers, they can heal hearts, erase memories and interpret dreams. But not Harlow. So when her mother and aunt give her a special task involving the family’s magic, she panics. How can she rise to the occasion when she is magicless? But maybe it’s not magic she’s missing, but belief in herself.

Promo

When Harlow Estrada is abruptly fired from her dream job and her boyfriend proves to be a jerk, her world turns upside down. She flees New York City to the one place she can always call home --- the enchanted Hacienda Estrada. The Estrada family farm in Mexico houses an abundance of charmed flowers cultivated by Harlow’s mother, sisters, aunt and cousins. By harnessing the magic in these flowers, they can heal hearts, erase memories and interpret dreams. But not Harlow. So when her mother and aunt give her a special task involving the family’s magic, she panics. How can she rise to the occasion when she is magicless? But maybe it’s not magic she’s missing, but belief in herself.

About the Book

When Harlow Estrada is abruptly fired from her dream job and her boyfriend proves to be a jerk, her world turns upside down. She flees New York City to the one place she can always call home --- the enchanted Hacienda Estrada.

The Estrada family farm in Mexico houses an abundance of charmed flowers cultivated by Harlow’s mother, sisters, aunt and cousins. By harnessing the magic in these flowers, they can heal hearts, erase memories, interpret dreams --- but not Harlow. So when her mother and aunt give her a special task involving the family’s magic, she panics. How can she rise to the occasion when she is magicless? But maybe it’s not magic she’s missing, but belief in herself. When she finally embraces her unique gifts and opens her heart to a handsome stranger, she discovers she’s far more powerful than she imagined.

With unforeseen twists, romance and a heavy sprinkle of magic, THE ENCHANTED HACIENDA is a captivating coming-of-age debut exploring identity, unconditional family love and uncovering the magic within us all.

Audiobook available, read by Frankie Corzo

Editorial Content for Live and Other Love Songs

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Rebecca Munro

Acclaimed author Anissa Gray returns with LIFE AND OTHER LOVE SONGS, her first novel since 2019’s THE CARE AND FEEDING OF RAVENOUSLY HUNGRY GIRLS. In her sophomore release, she chronicles the building and tearing apart of three generations of a Black family living in Detroit who are as weighed down by their secrets as they are by their loyalties. Read More

Teaser

It’s a warm, bright October afternoon, and Ozro Armstead walks out into the brilliant sunshine on his 37th birthday. At home, his wife Deborah and daughter Trinity prepare a surprise celebration; down the street, his brother waves as Oz heads back to his office after having lunch together. But he won’t make it to the party or even to his briefcase back at his desk. He's about to disappear. In the days, months and years to follow, Deborah and Trinity look backward and forward as they piece together the life of the man they love, but whom they come to realize they might never have truly known.

Promo

It’s a warm, bright October afternoon, and Ozro Armstead walks out into the brilliant sunshine on his 37th birthday. At home, his wife Deborah and daughter Trinity prepare a surprise celebration; down the street, his brother waves as Oz heads back to his office after having lunch together. But he won’t make it to the party or even to his briefcase back at his desk. He's about to disappear. In the days, months and years to follow, Deborah and Trinity look backward and forward as they piece together the life of the man they love, but whom they come to realize they might never have truly known.

About the Book

A father’s sudden disappearance exposes the private fears, dreams, longings and joys of a Black American family in the late decades of the 20th century, in this page-turning and intimate new novel from the author of THE CARE AND FEEDING OF RAVENOUSLY HUNGRY GIRLS.

It’s a warm, bright October afternoon, and Ozro Armstead walks out into the brilliant sunshine on his 37th birthday. At home, his wife Deborah and daughter Trinity prepare a surprise celebration; down the street, his brother waves as Oz heads back to his office after having lunch together.

But he won’t make it to the party or even to his briefcase back at his desk. He's about to disappear.

In the days, months and years to follow, Deborah and Trinity look backward and forward as they piece together the life of the man they love, but whom they come to realize they might never have truly known.

In a gripping narrative that moves from the Great Migration to 1970s Detroit and 1990s New York, we follow the hopes, triumphs, losses and secrets that build up and tear apart an American family.

Audiobook available; read by Dominic Hoffman, Karen Murray and Nicole Lewis

Editorial Content for Liquid Shades of Blue

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

L. Dean Murphy

Life is different at the southern end of US Highway 1: Key West, aka Margaritaville, reggae-calypso music you may find yourself humming while reading James Polkinghorn’s debut novel. Read More

Teaser

When hungover ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner Jack Girard groggily wakes up one morning, he’s greeted by a beautiful woman lying next to him and a shrill, ringing telephone. Seeing the call is from his father, Claude “The Duke” Girard, he answers. Within seconds, Jack learns that his mother is dead in an apparent suicide, so he hits the road, heading back to his childhood home in Miami to face his tyrannical father. The death of his mother brings up haunting memories from his past --- memories of his brother Bobby’s suicide when they were in college together. But things grow more complicated when The Duke suggests that his estranged wife’s alleged suicide may have been a murder. As Jack begins to uncover the truth about his mother’s death, he finds himself in imminent danger.

Promo

When hungover ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner Jack Girard groggily wakes up one morning, he’s greeted by a beautiful woman lying next to him and a shrill, ringing telephone. Seeing the call is from his father, Claude “The Duke” Girard, he answers. Within seconds, Jack learns that his mother is dead in an apparent suicide, so he hits the road, heading back to his childhood home in Miami to face his tyrannical father. The death of his mother brings up haunting memories from his past --- memories of his brother Bobby’s suicide when they were in college together. But things grow more complicated when The Duke suggests that his estranged wife’s alleged suicide may have been a murder. As Jack begins to uncover the truth about his mother’s death, he finds himself in imminent danger.

About the Book

First his brother, now his mother --- Jack Girard searches for the truth behind his family’s tragedies.

When hungover ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner Jack Girard groggily wakes up one morning, he’s greeted by a beautiful woman lying next to him and a shrill, ringing telephone. Seeing the call is from his father, Claude “The Duke” Girard, Jack answers. Within seconds, he learns that his mother is dead in an apparent suicide, and Jack hits the road, heading back to his childhood home in Miami to face his tyrannical father.

The death of his mother brings up haunting memories from Jack’s past --- memories of his brother Bobby’s suicide when they were in college together. Being back in Miami only continues to dredge up his family traumas, but things grow more complicated when The Duke suggests that his estranged wife’s alleged suicide may have been a murder.

As Jack begins to uncover the truth about his mother’s death, including the secret she had revealed to only two people --- the same secret Bobby had taken with him to his grave --- he finds himself in imminent danger. Can Jack reveal the true story before it’s too late? He has to act quickly, or he fears he may be the victim of the next Girard family tragedy.

Audiobook available, read by Garry Messick

May 19, 2023

There are authors whose work I love as they capture a time and place in history for me that I might never explore. My reading of Lisa See’s books started with SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN. For those of you who read it, who immediately googled “bound feet”? I know; that is what Lisa does. She brings a culture that you know nothing about to you --- and from there, you can see it vividly.

RGG Speed Dating May 2023 Event

RGG Speed Dating May 2023 Event

Best Books for Dad 2023

Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the men in our lives who have raised and loved us. Why not show him your appreciation by inspiring him with a great book? We have six titles that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for Dad, keeping him busy through the rest of the year.

 

Congratulations to the five winners of our 18th Annual Father’s Day Contest! Each winner received a prize package that includes all of the titles in this year’s feature.

—James Patterson

—Publishers Weekly

—Kirkus Reviews