Book picks similar to
Aspirations of the Heart by Katie Hart Smith


historical-fiction
reviewed
southern
women-s-fiction

My Sweet Vidalia


Deborah Mantella - 2015
    Despite the direst of circumstances, the spirit of the lost child refuses to leave her ill-equipped young mother's side.For as long as she is needed―through troubled pregnancies, through poverty, through spousal abuse and agonizing betrayals―Cieli Mae, the determined spirit child, narrates their journey. Serving as a safe place and sounding board for Vidalia's innermost thoughts and confusions, lending a strength to her momma's emerging voice, Cieli Mae provides her own special brand of comfort and encouragement, all the while honoring the restrictions imposed by her otherworldly status.Vidalia finds further support in such unlikely townsfolk and relations as Doc Feldman, Gamma Gert and her Wild Women of God, and, most particularly, in Ruby Pearl Banks, the kind, courageous church lady, who has suffered her own share of heartache in their small Southern town of yesteryear's prejudices and presumptions.My Sweet Vidalia is wise and witty, outstanding for its use of vibrant, poetic language and understated Southern dialect, as well as Mantella's clear-eyed observations of race relations as human relations, a cast of unforgettable characters, an in-depth exploration of the ties that bind, and its creative perspective. My Sweet Vidalia is a rare, wonderful, and complex look at hope, strength, the unparalleled power of unconditional love, and a young mother's refusal to give up.

The Curse of Anuganga


Harini Srinivasan - 2019
    India. In the thriving city of Nanivardhana, lives Shaunaka, a young man who yearns to go to Pataliputra to see the world and make his fortune. But he is forced to join his father's jewellery making business and soon finds himself in the workshop a job in which his heart clearly did not lie. Thankfully, along comes distraction in the form of two extravagant weddings royal nuptials at the palace and another wedding at the extravagant corner house in the Buddhist quarter of the city. This house, known for its opulence and sheer size, is owned by Vinayashura, an affluent trader fabled to have mysteriously deep connections to the royal family. Shaunaka is given the charge to work on the bride's jewellery at the corner house, but instead of the mundane task at hand, a morbid sight awaits the trader's wife's bloodcurdling screams bring Shaunaka to Vinayashura's bedroom where he is found murdered and lying in a pool of blood! Who killed Vinayashura? Why? Shaunaka finds himself at the heart of the mystery and his logic and keen observation skills land him the duty of assisting the head of police to solve this murder.

Hidden Courage


Annie Boone - 2018
    He ignores the warning signs she might be trouble. Sophia Lopez is an exotic beauty who must steal to survive after the death of her parents. Though she feels guilt that she’s become a criminal, she rationalizes that she has no other choice. Her latest heist forces her to run to Mexico where she hopes she’ll be safe with family. Stopping in Briarwood, Nevada to sell what she can to finish her journey, she meets a young banker who will give her just what she needs. Stanley Wilder Winthorpe is a timid man who comes alive when he meets the vibrant and lovely Sophia Lopez. Little does he know she'll cost him his job and almost all his dignity. Just being seen doing business with an unknown woman calls his character into question. His quest to make something of himself has come to a sudden stop. In spite of the scandal and rumors, Stanley can think of little else than Sophia. He knows such a beautiful woman would never give him a second glance, but he still dreams of courting her. Oddly enough, Sophia is drawn to Stanley’s quiet strength in the face of adversity. She surprises herself by admitting he’s one of the handsomest men she’s ever met. Agreeing to stay in town with Stanley just a bit longer may just be the best decision she ever makes. Will Sophia be woman enough to trust Stanley with the truth? Will Stanley gather enough courage to be the man Sophia desperately needs? ______ About the Boarding House Misfits Series by Annie Boone Dolores O’Hanlon is a well-known figure in the town of Briarwood, Nevada. She has a big heart and a knack for giving advice at just the right time. As the owner of the Rosebud Boarding House, she’s proud that her establishment has become one of the town’s most respected institutions. Dolores believes that deep down people are inherently good. But she knows the difficulties they face because of sin and temptation. Sometimes Dolores is their only friend and the Rosebud Boarding House is their only port in a terrible storm. Meet some of the lonely and lost people who find their way to the Rosebud and find out how they find their way back to life and love. Redemption, second chances, and understanding are available to all.

The Farmhouse, Book 1 (Rocky Mountain #1)


Jessie Kelley - 2021
    

The Full Circle


Namrata Gupta - 2018
    What she knew as the truth turned into a fiction to beguile her, the person she had been living with for so many years turned into someone she never knew until then” Being a traveler, Aditya always took something from the places he visited and this somehow helped him give something to his next destination, which is now Darjeeling. His life revolves around meeting locals, exploring the world and helping people in any way possible. Aditya meets his contrast in Zinnia, who prefers stability in life, while staying as a tenant in her mother’s house. With his empathy and understanding nature, he wins the hearts of the locals. His adventurous way of living life is challenged when he develops strong feelings for Zinnia, who considers his way of life as a prolonged hobby. While helping Jacqueline, an emotionally distraught girl, into shaping her life in a new way, he realizes he feels lost, for the first time in his life, without Zinnia. He stumbles upon a devastating secret about Zinnia’s past that will change her life completely, something he can’t let go of.Genre: Romance; Contemporary; Indian Writing; Love Saga; Literature & Fiction; Adventure; ThrillerAuther info Namrata Gupta has a masters degree in management from LBSIM, Delhi. A literature graduate from Hans Raj College, her debut novel, A Silent Promise (2015), won many hearts. She writes content for websites and blogs regularly and wants to make an immutable influence on the minds of the readers through her writing. She loves travelling and exploring new things.

Player Brothers Box Set


Maddie Bandy - 2020
    For a limited time the book is under dollar or free on KU.

Brahma Rakshas: The Monster Within


Sandiip N. Paatil - 2021
    At 11, he looks big and strong for his age. His kind mother, Geeta is a rural Indian archetype: the overworked, stressed-out, barely-keeping-it- together single mother. His father is in prison for multiple robbery cases. The villagers are cold and overbearing, and his schooldays are made hellish by bullies. If this wasn’t enough, he has nightmares and uncanny callings from the age-old monstrous Peepal tree that lays on his way to school. The legend is a monster called Brahma Rakshas, living under this tree, for years unknown to people, lures kids with the black devil fruits and then makes them wrestle until one dies.And, one stormy night, the legend comes true when Brahma Rakshas meets Sarja. Set in a fictional village of Deogiri; a small haven of human civilization, away from the din of city life, this story is an adventure ride filled with riddles and monster wrestling.

The One I Love (Billionaire Romance Forever series Book 1)


Nivedita Vedurla - 2019
    Ajay Khurana, Before I started on the cruise trip where I met you, I was uncertain about travelling by myself. You changed my outlook towards travelling, and towards life. Despite all the wondrous changes you made in my life, I have a complaint; I can't stand your son. He is arrogant, mannerless and a complete womanizer. Every negative adjective that I can find for him would fall short in describing who he actually is. I am not sure why and what made him like that, but I wish you could take control of his life and train him to become a better person, someone who is respectful towards women. Thanks, Advika. If you don’t believe me, you can read this book and find out why I hate him so much. However, don’t judge him by his looks, and don’t kill him. After all, he is Ajay Khurana’s son; my favourite man in the world. Stop by and grab this book real soon. Let me know if you hate him as much as I do.

Bhang Milkha Bhang: Cannabis Saves Lives


Tejaswi Priyadarshi - 2021
    Does not pull punches. Phantom stuff!”Anukriti Pandey (Screenwriter): “Read Bhang Milkha Bhang for a ride through space and time and the narrow, eerie, lanes of the human mind.”BOOK DESCRIPTION:*A millennial trying to break the shackles of caste and sexual orientation**An anxiety-ridden NCB officer advocating CBD and spirituality**An ambitious woman entangled in an abusive marriage**A balding educational consultant playing assassin by the night**An eccentric narco looking for his deal of a lifetime*What brings them together?Chirasthayi Bhang – an unknown species of cannabis which has historically been protected by a lineage of monks has suddenly appeared in Mumbai’s drug underbelly. Rumor has it that it reverses biological processes – and almost everyone wants it.What follows is a high-stakes tussle between a group of highly peculiar but dangerous individuals for the mythical treasure, where each is prepared to put a lot up for gamble to obtain that which was previously considered unobtainable. Before long, things start getting messy – messier than anyone could possibly imagine.To what extent would one go to get something that was already lost forever?

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen


Susan Gregg Gilmore - 2008
    The town of Ringgold, Georgia, has a population of 1,923, one traffic light, one Dairy Queen, and one Catherine Grace Cline. The daughter of Ringgold's third-generation Baptist preacher, Catherine Grace is quick-witted, more than a little stubborn, and dying to escape her small-town life. Every Saturday afternoon, she sits at the Dairy Queen, eating Dilly Bars and plotting her getaway to Atlanta. And when, with the help of a family friend, the dream becomes a reality, she immediately packs her bags, leaving her family and the boy she loves to claim the life she's always imagined. But before things have even begun to get off the ground in Atlanta, tragedy brings Catherine Grace back home. As a series of extraordinary events alter her perspective and sweeping changes come to Ringgold itself Catherine Grace begins to wonder if her place in the world may actually be, against all odds, right where she began. Intelligent, charming, and utterly readable, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen marks the debut of a talented new literary voice.

A Certain Threat


Roger Burnage - 2012
    Grahame in this work. Merriman is plunged headlong into the world of espionage and when Grahame is seriously wounded it falls to Merriman to carry on the investigation.Young James Merriman must keep all his wits about him to foil these plans especially when his adversary is revealed to be an exceptional French agent Henri Moreau who hopes that by helping the Irish to throw off the English yoke, France will be able to use Irish ports from which to attack England.

Garden in the South Battery


Kathryn Wharton - 2019
     Abigail fulfills her lifelong dream of buying a historic home on the infamous Charleston Battery. Yankees - Abigail and Anna skate their way through living in the South by sipping sweet tea and finding they may have a spirit hanging about in the new home. Through trials and tribulations, they deduce that moving to Charleston and being Southern entails more than just buying a piece of real estate. Garden in the South Battery is a semi-autobiographical account of a young girl who grew up a dreamer and a storyteller, she evolves into a woman, who moves to one of the most magical towns in the South. Kathryn Wharton ~ is an author whose extensive travel shines through her novels-transporting the reader to Southern towns including Charleston, S.C. and over the pond to England. Her stories combine Kathryn’s interior design experience, love of historic architecture and mystery. A mother of two daughters Kathryn spins tales of Motherhood sending them lovingly off into the world.

The Saints of Lost Things


C.H. Lawler - 2014
    Now, as a powerful September hurricane bears down on the Louisiana coast, those worlds will come face to face.The choices they make will send them on an odyssey north and into the fall of 1965, as the brutal and envious sheriff Percy Parris pursues them. Along the way they meet an unusual and eclectic series of people who help them become more than what they were.As fall turns to winter, their lives will change forever in the wake of a storm named Betsy.The Saints of Lost Things is a story of love, hope, and perseverance, and envy and bitterness. And the remarkable power of kindness.

The New Recruit: Episode 1


Andy McNab - 2012
    The Army Foundation College in Harrogate is a long way from home for Liam Scott. The training is intense; has he got what it takes to stay in the game when he's faced with CS gas and the firing range?Full story available in hardback and ebook formats.

Lily and the Wedding Date Mistake (Love in Bloom Book 1)


Seven Steps - 2019
    There's only one problem. She's lost her glasses and can't see his face.Worse, when she finds her glasses she gets a front row seat to him asking out her sister. Heartbroken, Lily thinks that things can't get any worse.Until he shows up in her English class on the first day of senior year.When they're forced to work together to throw the Fall Carnival, Lily discovers this mystery boy has a huge secret. One that will change everything. Especially Lily. Find out what happens next in Lily and the Wedding Date Mistake today!Buy it now.