The most unique and compelling character-driven books

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been an avid reader since I could first decipher words. But I am also an author. I write compelling stories from the heart and love character-driven stories. Therefore, I gravitate toward reading stories that tick these boxes for me. I have read thousands of books in my lifetime, and still feel the same excitement when I open a new one that I felt when I first read the Dick and Jane primers and Grimm’s Brothers Fairy Tales.  


I wrote...

Jagged Feathers

By Jan Sikes,

Book cover of Jagged Feathers

What is my book about?

Vann Noble did his duty. He served his country and returned a shell of a man, wounded inside and out. With a missing limb and battling PTSD, he seeks healing in an isolated cabin outside a small Texas town with a stray dog that sees beyond his master’s scars. If only the white rune’s magic can bring a happily ever after to a man as broken as Vann.   

On the run from hired killers and struggling to make sense of her unexplained deadly mission, Nakina Bird seeks refuge in Vann’s cabin. She has secrets. Secrets that can get them all killed. A ticking clock and long odds of living or dying create jarring risks.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Haunting of Chatham Hollow

Jan Sikes Why did I love this book?

This book, written in dual timelines (1800s and present day) gave me a deep insight into spiritualists, their tricks of the trade, and mediums. Some truly have the gift of communicating with the deceased and some don’t. Which ones, and how can you tell? What are the dangers of opening a portal? You’ll have to read the book to find out. The other compelling aspect of this book is the complex and three-dimensional characters. I don’t often re-read a book once I finish, but this one will be one I will go back to again. It’s that good!

By Mae Clair, Staci Troilo,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Haunting of Chatham Hollow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One founding father.
One deathbed curse.
A town haunted for generations.

Ward Chatham, founder of Chatham Hollow, is infamous for two things—hidden treasure and a curse upon anyone bold enough to seek it. Since his passing in 1793, no one has discovered his riches, though his legend has only grown stronger.

In 1888, charlatan Benedict Fletcher holds a séance to determine the location of Chatham’s fortune. It’s all a hoax so he can search for the gold, but he doesn’t count on two things—Victor Rowe, a true spiritualist who sees through his ruse, and Chatham’s ghost wreaking havoc on the…


Book cover of The Necromancer's Daughter

Jan Sikes Why did I love this book?

I love reading fantasy when it is well-written and draws me into a world unlike any we know. This book does that in spades. Who knew there was a practice called necromancy, using dark magic powers to resurrect the dead? This author demonstrates great knowledge in the use of herbs, potions, magical elixirs, and other forms of ancient magical practices throughout the story. The characters, their motives, and their insights help move the story in such a way that the reader is caught up and involved. If you’ve never read a fantasy book or think you wouldn’t like fantasy, I invite you to pick this book up and give it a chance. I highly recommend it!    

By D. Wallace Peach,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Necromancer's Daughter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A healer with the talent to unravel death. A stillborn child brought to life. A father lusting for vengeance. And a son torn between justice, faith, and love. Caught in a chase spanning kingdoms, each must decide the nature of good and evil, the lengths they will go to survive, and what they are willing to lose.

A healer and dabbler in the dark arts of life and death, Barus is as gnarled as an ancient tree. Forgotten in the chaos of the dying queen’s chamber, he spirits away her stillborn infant and in a hovel at the meadow’s edge,…


Book cover of Curse of Wolf Falls

Jan Sikes Why did I love this book?

I love books that include paranormal aspects. Not in the sense of vampires, but things like psychics, mediums, or empaths. This book is about an empath who has struggled her entire life to figure out how to utilize it in a good way and not let it overwhelm her. The story also involves some Native American myths which is also something I am naturally drawn to. Elidor is an archaeologist. What a fascinating occupation! When she and her partner make a massive discovery, she must decide whether to keep it a secret or to hand it over to the dig director. Greed can make a man do things he wouldn’t ordinarily do. I devoured this book. The colorful characters, the setting in the fictitious town of Joshua, and the storyline make this a most compelling read. 

By Brenda Whiteside,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Curse of Wolf Falls as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Secrets can protect what the truth will destroy.
Elidor MacKenzie has a gift she can't return—the ability to absorb the joy, pain, and suffering of others. She's spent her life running from what she considers her curse. Now, her best friend is dead, and she alone holds the key to an archaeological discovery that could destroy a culture. With newfound inner peace, Elidor has returned home to make amends and guard the secret revelation. But greed-driven scavengers have followed her. Once again, the energies of Joshua will stir the hurricane, with her at the deadly center.

Jules never got over…


Book cover of Layla

Jan Sikes Why did I love this book?

This book is so different from anything else I’ve ever read. What occurs in the story really makes me wonder if it’s possible for two souls to switch bodies when both die at exactly the same moment. The climactic psychological aspect of this story drew me in. The battle inside each character as they struggle to make sense of what is happening is so realistic, I often felt as if I was reading someone’s memoir. Yet it’s pure fiction. But the ending left me gasping and chewing my fingernails. Would the reverse switch be successful? There was so much at stake. If you like to read something that will stick with you long after you close the book, this is the one for you.

By Colleen Hoover,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Layla as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love.

When Leeds meets Layla, he's convinced he'll spend the rest of his life with her-until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they…


Book cover of Hidden

Jan Sikes Why did I love this book?

This book appealed to me on several different levels. First, I’m a sucker for a deep dark secret and the story begins with the indication that the character is hiding something huge. Secondly, it is a steamy romance with love scenes so hot the pages sizzle. Thirdly, the plot is so intricately woven that I couldn’t stop reading. The story takes the reader inside a religious cult and exposes practices that are shocking and frightening. I learned what makes people fall for the artful deception of the leader, and the dangers of escaping. I rooted for the characters all through the book, although at times, I wanted to shake both of them and get them to be honest with each other. If you love a sizzling romance with tons of suspenseful action, you’ll devour this well-written story! 

By Rebecca Zanetti,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Hidden as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Sizzling."
--Kat Martin 
 
Hide. That's all Pippa can do to escape the terror chasing her. But now that she's off the grid in a safe house, she finds plenty of interesting things to watch through the window. Like her new neighbor, with his startling green eyes, killer smile, and sexy bad-boy tattoo . . . 
Run. Malcolm West is fleeing the hell he unleashed in his last assignment as an undercover cop. A backwoods bungalow sounds like the perfect place to start over. Until he discovers he's been set up . . .
 
Fight. Someone's gone to a lot of…


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Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

By Gabrielle Robinson,

Book cover of Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

Gabrielle Robinson Author Of Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Retired english professor

Gabrielle's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Gabrielle found her grandfather’s diaries after her mother’s death, only to discover that he had been a Nazi. Born in Berlin in 1942, she and her mother fled the city in 1945, but Api, the one surviving male member of her family, stayed behind to work as a doctor in a city 90% destroyed.

Gabrielle retraces Api’s steps in the Berlin of the 21st century, torn between her love for the man who gave her the happiest years of her childhood and trying to come to terms with his Nazi membership, German guilt, and political responsibility.

Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

By Gabrielle Robinson,

What is this book about?

"This is not a book I will forget any time soon."
Story Circle Book Reviews

Moving and provocative, Api's Berlin Diaries offers a personal perspective on the fall of Berlin 1945 and the far-reaching aftershocks of the Third Reich.

After her mother's death, Robinson was thrilled to find her beloved grandfather's war diaries-only to discover that he had been a Nazi.

The award-winning memoir shows Api, a doctor in Berlin, desperately trying to help the wounded in cellars without water or light. He himself was reduced to anxiety and despair, the daily diary his main refuge. As Robinson retraces Api's…


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