The Strongest Passion
Luis Zapata.
Using only dialogue as its narrative technique, Luis Zapata recounts the story of Santiago, a middle-aged businessman hopelessly in love with Arturo, a 19-year-old teenager, who is the son of Sarita, his best friend. Through skillful and entertaining dialogues during their courtship, which continue once the conquest is achieved, the novel reflects the deep generational chasm between the characters. Santiago is the completely dedicated representative of that mythical first generation of gringos born in Mexico who cultivates values and pursues goals in life and who believes in the middle-class version of national progress through personal and individual commitment. Arturo, on the other hand, is the typical postmodern teenager: pragmatic, addicted to working out, hedonistic, vain to the point of being narcissistic, cynical to the point of being cruel, and materialistic to the point of accepting money as the only God. Thus, in The Strongest Passion.

Latina Mistress
R.F. Sanchez
This story is about young and pretty illegal alien women in El Paso, Texas, who unknowingly fall or conveniently acquiesce to the sexual demands of their male employers, who most happen to be Anglo Americans. Much what has been written about El Paso and the southwest is about its history, its settlers, its movers and its heroes. Latina Mistress, however, is about ordinary people, illegal aliens, their loves, hates, beliefs, and more importantly their circumstances. The events which take place in the novel intersect the Hispanic and Anglo worlds, with their own good and evil characters. This novel follows the long tradition of historical fiction in the sense that all the anecdotes told here are actually true, although the names have been changed to protect the guilty. The author gathered these very human stories through years of observation as well as personal experience and much research.

Notes From Exile
T.M. Spooner
Rich in language and imagery, Notes from Exile is a skillfully crafted novel. A blend of humour and drama thread this tale, concluding in what can best be described as a haunting modern tragedy. Struggles both large and small remind us of human frailties and how in the final analysis, we go it alone. For its wit and passion, this novel should not be missed! Mexico has long been a land of enchantment and mystery, a place where more than one foreigner has sought refuge, fleeing real or imagined demons. In a quaint village along the shores of Lake Chapala, two recent college graduates join two men living in self-imposed exile. One, a journalist and jaded philosopher is escaping an inherited family destiny; the other, a British combat veteran is fleeing what many viewed an unnecessary war. Notes from Exile is a venerable creation, containing humour, love, and sorrow.

Carnival King: The Last Latin Monarch
Alan James.
This comedy about Brazilian politics and history rests on the premise that the 1993 plebiscite on what form of government Brazilian voters preferred - parliamentary, presidential, or monarchical- actually favoured the latter. While the premise is imaginary, James has captured the cynical mood of Brazilian politics amazingly well and his characters a cast that includes reluctant monarchs, corrupt politicians, over-zealous cops, street vendors and denizens of Rio de Janeiro’s night life jump off the page as true life figures, recognisable to anyone who has spent time in Brazil.
James has a delightful narrative style and his characters speak in crisp, modern dialogue. This is a thoroughly enjoyable story by an up-and-coming first author. Buy it now!