I
adore books about animals, but I also love magical realism. Emory’s Gift is the
perfect blend of both.
Plus, it takes place in North Idaho, where I live! It’s
technically aimed at middle grade but can absolutely be enjoyed by any age. It
centers around 13-year-old Charlie, a boy who’s recently lost his mother, has a
silent, grieving father, and who ends up befriending a grizzly bear of all
things.
It sounds a bit implausible, but it’s really not. I found it uplifting,
poignant, and oh-so relatable. I loved it!
From W. Bruce Cameron, the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel A Dog's Purpose, which is now a major motion picture!
After 13-year-old Charlie Hall's mother dies and his father retreats into the silence of grief, Charlie finds himself drifting lost and alone through the brutal halls of junior high school.
But Charlie Hall is not entirely friendless. In the woods behind his house, Charlie is saved from a mountain lion by a grizzly bear, thought to be extinct in northern Idaho.
And this very unusual bear will change Charlie's life forever.
I
write contemporary romance, so I’m always looking for great examples to model
my stories after, and In the Likely Event is one of those “WOW” books that I
ended up enjoying even more than I expected.
It’s about a young couple, Izzy
and Nate, who first meet when the airplane they’re on ends up crashing only a
few minutes after takeoff. Even though they ultimately go their separate ways,
they never forget one another. Izzy goes into politics, and Nate ends up in the
military.
Fifteen years later, they meet again in Afghanistan, right during the
crazy, chaotic U.S. withdrawal. This is a love story full of suspense,
heartbreak, and joy. It really kept me on the edge of my seat… right up to the
wonderful, swoon-worthy ending.
From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros, comes a sweeping romance about the sustained power of chance encounters.
When Izzy Astor gets on a plane to go home, she isn’t expecting much. It’s the usual holiday travel experience: busy, crowded, stressful.
Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now.
Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River.…
This is book #6 in the Jessica
Anderson series, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each of them. It’s about a family
who raises top-of-the-line working dogs trained for search and rescue and
protection work.
I love reading about the incredible feats these dogs are
capable of and how Jessica, the main character, goes about training them.
This
story (and all the other titles) is filled with mystery, danger, and
tension, but humor as well. Jessica works with the local sheriff, and I keep hoping that the two of them will eventually fall in love. If you love
dogs, mystery, and crime-solving, this is the perfect series.
CeCe Bixby's life is in flux. After being abandoned by her husband six years earlier, she's managed to cope by focusing on her work as a reporter and on being a good mom.
When her name is leaked in connection with a dangerously controversial story, a fresh start in small-town Huckleberry Ridge, Idaho, feels safe ... until she meets her new landlord, a handsome widower who just may wield the key to her tightly sealed heart.
Shane Wickham is shackled with regret. Ever since playing an unintentional role in his wife's death, he's denied himself a second chance at happiness. But once he meets his attractive but fearful new tenant, he feels compelled to help her, and his firm resolve to keep his distance begins to crumble.
