Category Archives: Skyhorse Publishing

November 11, 2021 · 12:02 am

Review: Neglect by Kim Wozencraft

Title: Neglect by Kim Wozencraft
Publisher: Skyhorse
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 346 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From the bestselling author of Rush comes a redemptive story of a young mother at war on two fronts.

From bestselling author Kim Wozencraft comes the story of a young mother at war on two fronts: first as a soldier in Afghanistan and then upon her return to rural Granite County, New York, where one terrible mistake threatens her family and her sanity.

Erin Hill enlists in the Army Reserve in an act of desperation. She and her husband have both lost their jobs and their marriage is disintegrating. Assured that the odds of deployment are extremely low, Erin now finds herself on an Army base in the middle of a combat zone, where it’s sometimes hard to tell who the enemy is—especially when a respected sergeant turns predator.

When Erin returns stateside and reunites with her family, her battle for survival truly begins. Flooded with traumatic memories, with no prospects for jobs or treatment for PTSD, her husband involved with a new woman, Erin falls into the bottle head-first. After a nearly fatal night of despair, she is swept up into a vast and indifferent bureaucracy that threatens to take her children from her—forever. Neglect is a profound story of mother love.

Review:

Neglect by Kim Wozencraft is a heartbreaking novel of a woman broken by poverty and war then finds herself trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare to regain custody of her children.

Erin Hill is a college professor barely eking out a living when she impulsively decides to enlist in the Army National Guard. Her husband Eddy is furious and their already precarious marriage worsens. Despite assurances by the recruiter she will never see battle, Erin’s unit is sent on a six month deployment to Afghanistan. She desperately misses her twins, Paul and Lindsey but she finds friendship with two other women. Erin is assaulted by someone in a leadership position, she endures an unbearable loss and is haunted by a tragic mistake. Erin’s return home is less than joyful as she struggles to find a job and she fights PTSD with little help except for self-medicating herself with alcohol. Eddy abandons her and their children and utterly overwhelmed, Erin makes a decision that could cost her everything she holds dear.

Erin is no stranger to loss and dire finances, but after she comes back from war, she is no longer able to cope. Although she knows all too well what drinking can do to families and marriages, alcohol is the only thing that calms her frantic thoughts. Eddy seizes on her drinking to finally walk out on her but she is grateful to have Paul and Lindsey. Despite her deep love for her now ten-year-old twins, Erin makes a drunken choice that has unanticipated consequences.

Erin’s sister Tanya comes to her rescue more than once, but since they do not live in the same state, she is mostly on her own. Erin will do anything to bring her children home, but she must navigate the many obstacles the social service system puts in her path. Just as she believes she is one step closer to regaining custody, Erin must complete one more never-ending set of arbitrary tasks dictated by the court system. Eddy is also part of the problem and she is frustrated by his control over her and their children’s lives.

Neglect is an incredibly well-written, captivating novel that provides an unflinching and eye-opening view of the ravages of war, poverty and the unforgiving social service bureaucracy. Erin is a very relatable woman that is deeply flawed. The various systems fail her as she initially seeks help from the VA for her PTSD then by child protective services as it continually moves the goal posts. But determination and a strong will to be reunited with her children is a powerful motivation for Erin to finally begin to confront her demons. With a clever act of revenge yielding unexpected results, Kim Wozencraft brings this emotionally compelling novel to a hopeful conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, Kim Wozencraft, Neglect, Rated B+, Review, Skyhorse Publishing, Women's Fiction

September 30, 2018 · 11:55 pm

Review: The Golden Child by Wendy James

Title: The Golden Child by Wendy James
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Beth Mahony is a stay-at-home mother of two daughters, Lucy and Charlotte. She’s also a blogger, whose alter ego, Lizzie, paints a picture of a busy, happy life. Originally from Australia, Beth and her family have lived in New Jersey for ten years. When an opportunity to relocate to Australia arises, the Mahonys decide to return to their native country. The move comes at the perfect time: Charlotte, the youngest daughter, has been accused of being the ringleader of a clique of girls whose dangerous initiation rites leave a child in hospital.

In Newcastle, Lucy and Charlotte attend a prestigious all-girls school, and Beth and her husband gradually settle into their new life. The almost immediately popular Charlotte is thrust back into the spotlight when she is blamed for bullying a classmate to the point of suicide. With Charlotte refusing to take the blame, the bullied child’s parents seeking retribution, and her husband and mother-in-law doubting Charlotte’s innocence, Beth is forced to examine her children’s actions critically―at a heartbreaking cost.

The Golden Child tells the story of two families’ heartbreaking realization that there are no guarantees when it comes to parenting. The novel grapples with modern-day specters of selfies, selfishness, and cyber bullying to expose the complex anxieties of the female psyche.

Review:

The Golden Child by Wendy James is a compelling novel with a socially relevant storyline.

Beth Mahony is an Australian ex-pat living in New Jersey with her husband Dan and their two daughters, fourteen year old Lucy and twelve year old Charlotte “Charlie”. Beth is a very involved stay-at-home mom who also blogs about her experiences with her family and living far from “home”.  Beth is shocked when Dan informs her a job opportunity means they are moving back to Australia.  The timing turns out to be rather fortuitous since Charlie has landed in a bit of trouble at school after an “initiation” rite with her group of friends goes wrong. She is the ringleader of the group and all fingers point to Charlie as being the instigator of the prank that landed a classmate in the hospital. As the Mahony family uneasily settles in their new life, Charlotte is once again at the center of a serious incident in which musically gifted but socially awkward Sophie Pennington  attempts to take her own life after she is the victim of bullying at school and on line.

Beth is surprised at the difficulty she is having settling in after their move. She remains out of sync as she tries to organize renovations on their house along with mothering duties. She is delighted by her burgeoning friendship with Sophie’s mum, Andi, but Beth remains strangely dissatisfied with her new life. Until their move back to Australia, Beth has been content to not work outside the home, but that quickly changes after their move. At her mother’s urging, she contacts a childhood friend’s brother who is in the early stages of running for political office.  Happy with her part-time job, Beth is dismayed at the growing distance between herself and her daughters as they spend more time in their rooms than with the family.

After struggling with infertility for ten years, Andi and her husband Steve are new parents for the second time. Unlike her experiences with Sophie, young Gus is an easy baby and she is enjoying bonding with the little guy. With the demands of new baby, Andi does not have as much time for her daughter but she does make a concerted effort to help Sophie become friends with Charlotte.  It is not until Sophie’s desperate act that Andi becomes aware of the horrible bullying at the hands of Charlotte and her classmates.

Charlotte and Lucy are as different as night and day. Lucy is content to fly under the radar and she has a small, but close-knit circle of friends. She is quiet, unassuming and  never gives Beth any reason to worry about her. Charlotte, on the other hand, is eager to be in the limelight and she wants to be friends with most popular girls in their new school. Quickly realizing that spending time with Sophie will socially destroy her, Charlotte ignores her at school yet still remains her friend in private.

Despite being a bit slow-paced,  The Golden Child is an engrossing peek into the world of mean girls and bullying.  Shifting view points, blog posts, an anonymous website and social media offer an insightful view into the various characters’ lives as the bullying attacks on Sophie intensify.  The storyline is topical and extends beyond the bullying as both Beth and Andi wrestle with parental guilt once the bullying is exposed. Wendy James brings this character-driven novel to an unexpected and twist-filled conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, Rated B, Review, Skyhorse Publishing, The Golden Child, Wendy James, Women's Fiction

March 11, 2018 · 11:56 pm

Review: The Past Is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson

Title: The Past Is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Genre: Historical (70s), Fiction
Length: 284 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

A compelling addition to contemporary Southern Gothic fiction, deftly weaving together local legends, magical realism, and the search for a missing child.

Siblings Bert, Willet, and Pansy know better than to go swimming at the old rock quarry. According to their father, it’s the Devil’s place, a place that’s been cursed and forgotten. But Mississippi Delta summer days are scorching hot and they can’t resist cooling off in the dark, bottomless water. Until the day six-year-old Pansy vanishes. Not drowned, not lost . . . simply gone. When their father disappears as well, Bert and Willet leave their childhoods behind to try and hold their broken family together.

Years pass with no sign, no hope of ever finding Pansy alive, and as surely as their mother died of a broken heart, Bert and Willet can’t move on. So when clues surface drawing them to the remote tip of Florida, they drop everything and drive south. Deep in the murky depths of the Florida Everglades they may find the answer to Pansy’s mysterious disappearance . . . but truth, like the past, is sometimes better left where it lies.

Perfect for fans of Flannery O’Connor and Dorothy Allison, The Past Is Never is an atmospheric, haunting story of myths, legends, and the good and evil we carry in our hearts.

Review:

Set in the mid 1970s, The Past Is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson is an atmospheric tale of mystery and intrigue.

One hot summer day in 1976, fourteen year Roberta Lynn (Bert), sixteen year old Willet and six year Pansy head to the quarry to go swimming although their father has warned them to stay away from the cursed swimming hole. Bert and Willet leave Pansy, who is a strong swimmer, while they go and pick berries. A strong but brief storm hits and in the aftermath, Bert discovers Pansy has vanished. Despite countless news stories and numerous searches, no trace of the little girl is ever found. Also missing is the kids’ father who was out of town on “business” and he too disappears without a trace. Willet and Bert try to keep their remaining family together, but will their mother ever accept the fact that neither Pansy nor her husband will return?

Willet and Bert never give up hope their father and sister will be found, but they are realistic enough to know they might never see them  again.  In the aftermath of the disappearances, they have no choice but to step up and take care of themselves and their mother. Willet takes whatever jobs he can find and Bert works with their Granny Clem. By the early eighties, they are old enough to follow a few leads to Florida where they hope to find answers about their missing family members.

Interspersed with the events unfolding in the present are chapters detailing the tragic history of the quarry. How these stories fit into the mystery of Pansy’s disappearance does not become clear until late in the novel. These chapters are interesting but without context, they are a little confusing.

The Past Is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson is a somewhat gloomy and slow paced novel. The characters are well defined and the legends about the quarry are somewhat mystical and quite eerie. The novel comes to satisfying but somewhat bittersweet conclusion.

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Filed under Fiction, Historical, Historical (70s), Rated C+, Review, Skyhorse Publishing, The Past Is Never, Tiffany Quay Tyson

October 9, 2017 · 11:56 pm

Review: Where the Sun Shines Out by Kevin Catalano

Title:Where the Sun Shines Out by Kevin Catalano
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Genre: Fiction
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

A raw, unflinching literary debut for fans of Dennis Lehane and Tom Franklin examining the aftershocks of survival, and the price of salvation. 

In the blue-collar town of Chittenango, New York, two young boys are abducted from a local festival and taken to a cabin in the woods. One is kept; one is killed. When they are next seen, ten-year-old Dean has escaped by swimming across Oneida Lake holding his brother’s dead body.

As the years pass, the people of Chittenango struggle to cope with the collateral damage of this unspeakable act of violence, reverberations that disrupt the community and echo far beyond. With nothing holding it together, Dean’s family disintegrates under the twin weights of guilt and grief, and the unspoken acknowledgment that the wrong child survived. At the center of it all, Dean himself must find a place in a future that never should have been his.

In a sweeping narrative spanning decades and told from alternating points of view, Where the Sun Shines Out tells the story of a town and the inevitable trauma we inflict upon each other when we’re trying our best. Exploring the bonds, and breakdowns, of families, Kevin Catalano’s fearless debut reminds us that although the path to redemption is pockmarked, twisted, and often hidden from view, somehow the sun makes it through.

Review:

Where the Sun Shines Out by Kevin Catalano is a dark and gritty debut that is quite enthralling despite the utter heartbreak that follows the kidnapping of two young boys.

In 1992, ten year old Dean Fleming and his younger brother Jason are kidnapped while they are attending the town’s annual Oz Festival. Dean manages to survive the ordeal and in the years that follow, he remains wracked with guilt and caught in an increasingly downward spiral. Over the next 22 years, his life touches other residents of their small town and no one escapes unscathed.

Each of the chapters feature different characters and how their lives are affected in the aftermath of the tragedy. The first chapter is dedicated to the kidnapping and the traumatic outcome that virtually destroys the Fleming family. Dean is unable to tell authorities what they need to know to capture one of the kidnappers and in the years that follow, he bullies his only friend Brett Patrick.

The next chapters continually move forward in time and jump from character to character.and eventually circle back to Dean. Attempting to quash his pain, anger and confusion, he goes down a very dark path that leaves destruction and despair in his wake. Just as it appears that he has finally conquered his haunting past, Dean finally must face his demons but will this final showdown destroy him?

Where the Sun Shines Out is an emotionally compelling read that is impossible to put down. The characters are deeply flawed yet sympathetic. The storyline is full of angst with Dean and the residents whose lives intertwine with his with making choices that end with devastating consequences. Kevin Catalano brings this bleak novel of despair and dysfunction to a bit of a cliffhanger conclusion that will leave readers wondering what the future holds for Dean Fleming.

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Filed under Fiction, Kevin Catalano, Rated B, Review, Skyhorse Publishing, Where the Sun Shines Out

October 8, 2017 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Secrets on Chicory Lane by Raymond Benson

Title: The Secrets on Chicory Lane by Raymond Benson
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 256 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

From the New York Times bestselling author comes a new novel of suspense about coming-of-age in the 1960s—and the neighborhood street where first love, a child abduction, and abuse collide.

Sixty-one-year-old Shelby Truman, a romance novelist, has received a request to visit her childhood friend, Eddie, who is on Death Row. Though mentally ill, Eddie is scheduled to be executed for the disturbing, brutal murders of his wife and unborn child.

As Shelby travels home to Texas for the unnerving reunion, she steps back into memories of her past, recalling her five-decade-long relationship with Eddie in order to understand what led the beautiful but troubled boy who lived across the street to become a murderer. Shelby and Eddie used to visit an abandoned fallout shelter in his backyard, their “secret hiding place” where they could escape Eddie’s abusive father, enjoy innocent playtime, and, later, adolescent explorations. As they grow increasingly close, a tragedy occurs one July fourth, an event that sets in motion a lifelong struggle against an Evil—with a capital “E”—that has corrupted their all-American neighborhood.

With only a few days left for Eddie to live, Shelby braces herself for a reunion that promises to shed light on the traumatic events that transpired on her street, changing everything Shelby thought she knew about the boy on Chicory Lane.

Review:

The Secrets on Chicory Lane by Raymond Benson is a spellbinding, reflective mystery that has quite a few twists and turns.

Sixty one year old romance author Shelby Truman gets the shock of a lifetime when her former first love and on again/off again lover Eddie Newcott requests to see her before he is executed for a horrific murder. Although she has not spoken to him in years, she alters her plans in order to fulfill his request. Her journey from her home in Chicago to the Texas prison is fraught with her memories of her relationship with Eddie. Their childhood friendship turns to romance when they were young teenagers but after tragedy strikes her family, they gradually drift apart then lose touch after Eddie goes to Vietnam.

Over the years, Shelby goes on to embark on intense, short term romances with Eddie but these relationships are unsustainable over the long term. While Shelby finds success as an author, Eddie travels down a very troubled path and becomes rather infamous as the head of a Satanic Church.  Although no one in their small hometown is surprised when he commits a gruesome murder, Shelby is stunned to learn the truth about what happened to Eddie during childhood and his subsequent struggles with mental illness throughout his adulthood.

Uncertain why Eddie wants to meet with her one last time, Shelby goes into their meeting with a few trepidations. Initially disappointed by his incoherent ramblings, she eventually deciphers what he is trying to tell her.  Much to Shelby’s shock, she uncovers a shocking secret that explains why Eddie was so incredibly tormented throughout his life.

The Secrets on Chicory Lane by Raymond Benson is an incredibly well-written and compelling mystery that tackles some dark subject matter. Shelby is an engaging character who has to face some hard truths about the mistakes and missteps she has made throughout her life. Eddie is a surprisingly sympathetic character once the truth about his very troubled past is fully revealed. This haunting story comes to a somewhat shocking, but completely satisfying conclusion.  An absolutely riveting novel that I absolutely loved and highly recommend.

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Filed under Contemporary, Historical, Mystery, Rated B+, Raymond Benson, Review, Skyhorse Publishing, Suspense, The Secrets on Chicory Lane

April 16, 2017 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Unprotected by Kelly Sokol

Title: The Unprotected by Kelly Sokol
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 296 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

A compelling debut novel exploring postpartum depression—for readers of suspenseful women’s fiction and fans of Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin.

They say motherhood changes you.

As a driven advertising executive, Lara James has always put her career before any plans for a family, preferring professional chic to stay-at-home style. But after her father’s death, she realizes she’s ready. More than ready, in fact. Yet pregnancy—something other women seem to accomplish effortlessly, even accidentally—doesn’t come easily to Lara. What began as an adventure quickly becomes a nightmare as she and her husband endure endless IVF treatments, hormone therapy, and devastating miscarriages.

When Lara at last becomes pregnant and gives birth to a daughter, Auden, she believes their determination has paid off. But Auden cries day and night, ear-shattering screams that strip Lara of her nerves and energy. Her life as a sleep-deprived new mother is unrelenting, and, guiltily, Lara can’t help but mourn for what she once had. With her marriage crumbling, Lara is increasingly driven to alarming thoughts and destructive actions she would never have imagined possible before now. Hanging on by a thread, it’s only in her darkest moment that Lara will discover the true depths of her love and devotion—and what she’s willing to face for the family she’s so desperately sought.

At times disturbing, The Unprotected is a bold, unflinching novel for anyone who’s ever wanted children—and wondered what they might have to sacrifice along the way.

Review:

The Unprotected by Kelly Sokol is a starkly  honest depiction of infertility and postpartum depression.

Lara James is a driven career advertising executive who never thought she would want to have children. At one time rather dismissive of her friends and family with kids, she shocks her husband Will with her sudden announcement she wants to have a baby. Pursuing pregnancy with the same single-minded focus that helped her achieve professional success, Lara is ill-prepared for a four year battle with infertility. Cautiously optimistic when she is finally pregnant, she is soon writing a detailed birth plan while designing the baby’s nursery and discussing baby names.  Making a completely unexpected decision to give up her career in order to be a stay at home mom, Lara is completely stunned by the reality of sleep deprivation and a colicky baby who cries for hours on end. Even more shocking is her increasingly downward spiral of exhaustion, frightening thoughts and lack of bonding with her newborn baby.

Lara is not an easy character to like. Her relationship with her mom is contentious and she has absolutely no patience with her at all.  She is rude and condescending to her sister, Bea, and she never hesitates to let her know her opinion about Bea’s decision to marry and have kids.  Lara is a steamroller who does not take other people’s feelings or viewpoint into consideration.  This attitude extends to her husband Will and she refuses to give up on getting pregnant despite the toll her infertility and treatments are taking on their marriage. She is also a little sly and devious as she becomes obsessed with her quest to become pregnant.

Despite her fertility problems, Lara’s pregnancy is rather easy and without complications. Her childbirth experience is not what she expected or planned for, and things continue to go downhill once she is released from the hospital with baby Auden. Exhausted and in pain, Lara struggles with breastfeeding and things worsens as Will quickly returns to work, leaving her and Auden on their own. As the situation continues to deteriorate, her fears about what would happen if she were to reveal some of her worst thoughts are understandable. However, it is somewhat incomprehensible that an intelligent, well-educated woman would not confide just how bad things are becoming. Will also carries his share of the blame for failing to recognize his wife’s exhaustion and understandable frustration with Auden’s inconsolable crying.

The Unprotected  is a realistic portrayal of the shame and fear women experience when motherhood takes a dark turn.  Kelly Sokol does not downplay the alarming symptoms of postpartum depression and while she shines a much needed light on this little discussed topic, it is not easy reading about Lara’s increasingly disturbing downward spiral. A tough read but one I highly recommend.

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Filed under Contemporary, Kelly Sokol, Rated B, Review, Skyhorse Publishing, The Unprotected, Women's Fiction