Elisabeth Zguta

Ivan Rudenko is the youngest son of a family living in a small town in Ukraine telling his story during a time under Polish martial law just as the onset of World War II would bring Russian conflict into the area, along with the rise of German Nazism. As the war continues, Ivan’s family attempts to head west, but faces more struggles and find sympathetic assistance, even as Ivan’s older brother is taken from the family and conscripted to fight for an army the family has no belief in. Ivan’s father works diligently to keep his family safe and survive the war to reach a dream of freedom. This well-written story from a Ukrainian perspective during a major conflict in history delves into tragedy and hope in a culture facing tyranny and prejudice from multiple neighboring cultures. Even though the novel was published in 2020, it is amazing that its historical perspective of Ukrainian culture under conflict actually provides a better understanding of the current Russian-Ukrainian war being experienced now.… (altro)

Galicia, 1939. Confusion and terror reigns.
Constant battles between the various occupiers of Ukraine keep the people of Lviv unnerved. One young boy from nearby Halych watches the turmoil and tries to understand. He wants to hold onto his future, and a future for his family, and country.

A story never told before, about the plight of Ukrainians from a child's perspective. A story of strength gained not by fighting a war, but by uniting as a people and remaining respectful of culture, religion, and freedom.

Dreamer is a story about a Ukrainian boy, Ivan Rudenko, during WWII. His unique perspective explores the adversity that he and his family face from all directions. Overtaken by the Polish, the Russians, and then the Germans, the family helped victims and counseled their neighbors. But shortly after the Nazi occupation, they find there's no more hope for freedom. Unable to help their Jewish neighbors any longer from oppressors, they flee toward their unknown future.

Living in the middle of wartime chaos, the family faces harsh realities and chooses to hope for a better future despite the odds.

Ivan meets new friends along their journey through Slovakia and then the Bohemian Black Forest, people with their own stories. Finding hope in Regensburg, the family dreams of becoming American citizens and finding a home at last. They bear witness to the struggles of the war aftermath, compiled with the anxiety of waiting their turn to emigrate.

This is a story about keeping the dream of a free Ukraine alive and one boy's search for a home.… (altro)

A role-playing game staged in the remote woods of the North East Kingdom, turns into a deadly pastime when a killer uses the game as a means to seize his victims.

A dead body is discovered in the woods by Samantha Tremblay, a Forest Ranger who works at Maidstone Lake. The locals call her Sam. She swears to bring the killer to justice for the victim but soon finds herself in over her head, as she works alongside New Hampshire Trooper Zachary Gerard assigned to the case. More bodies turn up and motivation to solve the crimes mount.

Old secrets get in Sam’s way, and she isolates herself from others. Haunted by unanswered questions about the past, she lives with cracked relationships—between herself and her father—her friends. Mourning her mother, Samantha feels a pull toward her heritage, the Abenaki tribe, but is afraid to open that doorway. Could the tribe help discover the answers to her quest for the truth?

Pulled emotionally from all directions, Samantha Tremblay searches for answers to find a killer, and to discover herself.… (altro)

Emilie has had to deal with a lot in her life, the death of her mother at an early age, the cold emotional withdrawal of her father toward her, her younger sister, and older brother, and the unique gift of being an empath of other people’s hidden feelings that she feels she inherited from her mother. However, when her father appears to be losing his grip on the family business, Emilie discovers that he is being extorted over the news that his family line is cursed, which is why her mother died so early in life, a fate that has occurred to all women who have married into the de Gourgues family line. The curse appears to be documented in an antique book that relates the history and spiritual ritual between a French sea captain in her paternal lineage during the time of the French attempt of colonization of Florida in conflict with the Spanish and a chieftain of the Florida Timucua tribe that sought to assist the colony. As she goes on a journey to investigate the curse and discover a way to break it, she crosses paths with Jeremy, who is also on a hunt for answers, as it was his uncle who was murdered for the book that was sent to Emilie’s father to extort his submission. However, the parties behind the extortion are not anxious to have Emilie and Jeremy break the curse. This is a well written complex tale of romance, family drama, paranormal intrigue, and mystery with touches of emotional horror, historical investigation, and threatening twists. Told mostly through the limited omniscient view of Emilie, her empath powers provide a means for the reader to connect and feel the good and evil emotions of all characters, adding to the anticipation and drive of the plot. However, there are some occasional moments that appear to be a stretch, but for the most part this is a very satisfactory read.… (altro)