Kelly Ames for the Stars

  HIGHER LOVE By JOANNE KUKANZA EASLEY Women’s Literary Fiction Publisher: Red Boots Press Pages: 380 Publication Date: May 12, 2025 SYNOPSIS Higher Love - the new release from Joanne Kukanza Easley, the multi-award-winning author of Sweet Jane , Just One Look , and I’ll Be Seeing You . In 1986 Austin, Texas, sixteen-year-old Stephanie steps into sixty-two-year-old Lauren’s life, her uncanny resemblance cracking open a buried past. Claiming to be the daughter of the child Lauren gave up for adoption forty-five years ago, Stephanie upends Lauren’s life—already complicated by her remarriage to Brett after thirty-three years apart. Stung by her adoptive grandmother’s deception, Stephanie stays, her past of tragedy and self-harm forging a fragile bond with Lauren and Brett. When Stephanie’s trust fund evaporates, crushing her college dreams, Lauren sacrifices all to give her a future—only to face a bittersweet twist that echoes the past and changes everything. This heart-wrenching ...

TOUGH TRAIL HOME By Marie W. Watts Women’s Literary / Small Town & Rural / Contemporary Women’s Fiction Publisher: Black Rose Writing Pages: 253 Publication Date: March 27, 2024 SYNOPSIS “ Tough Trail Home is a delightful read about a family coming to terms with each other and their new lives.” –Pamela Stockwell, author of A Boundless Place The Dunwhitty family is flying high until their carefully choreographed life falls apart during the 2008 Great Recession. Lisa's firm goes belly-up while Michael's shuts down after selling faulty heart valves. Desperate, Lisa insists they regroup by seeking refuge in rural Central Texas on land she inherits from a distant relative she barely knows. It's not the ranch Lisa remembers, but a ramshackle money pit. Michael and their teenage son, Andrew, despise the place. Only their young daughter, Jessica, is happy. After a bitter argument, Michael moves to the city. As his job search drags on, Lisa begins to plant roots; friendships de...