"Elinor" by Shannon McNear

Heavily pregnant Elinor, her husband and father land on Roanoke, eager to embrace a new world.  Landing in a dangerous place, with little resources and hostile Indians, Elinor's father sails back to England for supplies and to report on the situation.  This book imagines what happened to the lost colony at Roanoke through the eyes of Elinor.

  This was a well written and engaging story.  The characters were multi-dimensional, and very realistic.  The story moved at a nice pace, holding my interest.  I would love to read more from this author.  Overall, highly recommended.

"A Woman of Endurance" by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa

Pola, a slave, is used for breeding.  As soon as she give birth, her child is taken into the unknown.  No longer able to endure, she tries to flee, but is caught and beaten near death.  Sold, she finds herself in a different plantation, where she is given the opportunity to work with the house slaves rather than in the cane fields.

  This novel was heartbreaking.  Pola was a very dynamic character, who I found myself cheering for throughout the story.  This author is an excellent writer, her words painted a picture in my mind.   I found myself unable to put the book down, needing to know what happened with Pola.  Overall, 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Bookseller or Dachau" by Shari J. Ryan

When the Jews are rounded up and taken away, Matilda hides her childhood sweetheart Hans in an attic passageway.  Months later, when Matilda's father betrays Hands to the Nazi's, Matilda is left pregnant.  She leaves her family and travels to the town of Dachau, hoping to be near her love.  In the present day, Grace is told that through DNA, she has been matched to a grandmother, who left her property in Dachau.  Unhappy with her job and feeling adrift, Grace travels to Dachau determined to uncover her past.

  The characters themselves were well developed but the story itself was slow moving.  I could have done without Grace's point of view/timeline entirely.   Grace's storyline felt very predictable and took away from Matilda's storyline.  Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

"The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post" by Allison Pataki

With her father dying, Marjorie and her parents travel to Battle Creek Michigan so that he can be treated at Dr. Kellogg's sanatorium.   After months of treatment, her father is given up as a lost cause.  Instead of dying, he recovers completely, and creates a delicious and nutritious breakfast cereal.  Nouveau riche, the Post family find themselves amidst the rich and famous.  Through multiple husbands, journey's around world, and a passion for life, this book outlines Marjorie's life.

  Marjorie Post is definitely a fascinating historical figure.  Her life was intriguing and fun to read about.  The author did a great job with time progression throughout the book, keeping the story fresh and exciting.  I would have liked to know more about Marjorie's daughters, and wish they had played a larger part in the story.   Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

"Mikey7" by Edward Ashton

Mickey's job is to die.  As an expendable, he is sent on dangerous missions by the colonist, where his chance of survival is nil.  Once he dies, his body is reprinted and his memories uploaded to the new iteration.  When sent on a routine mission, he falls into an underground tunnel system and is presumed dead.  Before he can rejoin the colony, a new Mikey is printed.  Duplicates are both feared and loathed, causing Mickey7 and Mickey8 to hide for fear of being recycled.  Terraforming is going poorly, calories are limited, and the local life forms seem to be attacking the colony.  Just when things can't get worse....they do.

  This was an extremely dynamic story.  The world was well formed and developed and both the society and technology seemed believable.  I would love to read more from this author.  5 out of 5 stars.