http://www.thcreviews.com/ This RSS Feed provides links the latest Hope Chest Book Reviews. http://www.thcreviews.com/cgi-bin/vts/book_review.html?book_review_id=415 <p>Eugenia &quot;Skeeter&quot; Phelan has just returned from college. She has dreams of becoming a writer, but her mother thinks she should settle down and get married. That's what all of her friends in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi have already done, but Skeeter wants to do something important with her life. She misses her family's former maid, Constantine, who mysteriously disappeared while Skeeter was away at school. When Skeeter gets a job as a cleaning advice columnist for the local newspaper, something she know nothing about, she turns to her friend's maid, Aibileen, for help, also hoping that she might tell her what became of Constantine.</p><p>Aibileen Clark survived the tragic death of her son with the help of her best friend, Minny. Now she has returned to work, and is raising her seventeenth white child, a little girl whom she adores. She's happy to help Skeeter with her advice column, but when Skeeter comes up with the idea of writing a book from the perspective of the maids, that's a whole different project that she isn't too sure about. After giving it some thought, Aibileen agrees to the idea, and she and Skeeter begin a partnership that turns into a deep friendship.</p><p>Minny Jackson is a sharp-tongued woman who is trying to help support her five children. Her mouth has gotten her into trouble many times, but when her latest employer fires her and begins spreading vicious lies about her stealing, Minny has had enough. She's dying to tell her stories even though at the same time, she's terrified of what her abusive husband and the population at large might do to her if they found out. </p><p>Together, these three women embark on a seemingly impossible journey to tell the world their stories of love and hate, hardships and joy while building an indelible friendship that transcends the racial barriers that others have erected.</p> http://www.thcreviews.com/cgi-bin/vts/book_review.html?book_review_id=414 <p>Young Helmuth Hubener grew up in Nazi Germany when Hitler was rising to power. Even though he was forced to join the Hitler Youth, the Nazi leader and his agenda never sat well with Helmuth. He did what he had to do to graduate from school, but after graduation, Helmuth felt a burning need to take action. When his older brother brings home a forbidden radio that he purchased on the black market, Helmuth can't resist listening to it each night after his grandparents are asleep. Through the BBC broadcast, he learns the truth of what is happening in the war, and it is far different than the picture the German Fuhrer paints. Helmuth comes up with the idea of writing down everything he can remember from each broadcast and distributing the flyers to other German citizens, so they too can know the truth. He even enlists the help of three good friend, but when the Gestapo discover their illegal activities, Helmuth and his friends may pay the ultimate price.&nbsp;</p> http://www.thcreviews.com/cgi-bin/vts/book_review.html?book_review_id=413 <p>For the first time since being turned into a Dark-Hunter, Nick Gautier returns home to New Orleans. His grief over loosing his mom and the destruction of his beloved hometown by Hurricane Katrina fuels his anger and a burning need for revenge against Acheron, but little does he know that his own quest for vengeance is playing right into the hands of two evil-doers who ask him to do something he never thought himself capable of.</p> http://www.thcreviews.com/cgi-bin/vts/book_review.html?book_review_id=412 <p>When Amelia Andrassey received the news of her husband's death, she fainted, but the strong arms of Count Anton Varga were there to catch her. From that first meeting, an intense connection passed between them. In the days that followed, Anton became a loyal friend to Amelia, but then he abruptly disappeared from her life for two months. During that time, Amelia completed a concert tour, playing her beloved piano for adoring audiences all over Europe. At her final performance of the tour, the man who has haunted her dreams finally returns, wanting to rekindle their friendship and perhaps pursue something more.</p><p>After having lived a rather misbegotten life, Anton Varga finally had an epiphany and went away to do some soul-searching. He returns a better man, intending to make the beautiful and talented Amelia his. The only problem is that he harbors a dark secret. Several years ago, he was bitten by a wolf and now every month on the full moon, he too turns into one. There are also unsavory wolves who harbor ill will toward Anton and may pose a threat to both him and his newfound love. As Anton gently leads Amelia toward his secret by giving her clues will she be able to figure it out, and if she does, will she still see him as the man she has come to love or will she only see the beast?</p> http://www.thcreviews.com/cgi-bin/vts/book_review.html?book_review_id=411 <p><em>The Night Shifters</em> is a novel about a young woman who was always more invested in her dream life than her real life. She sleepwalks through her days at a job that does nothing more than pay the bills, biding her time until she can find solace in her extremely vivid dreams. Until one night, the dreams never cease, and her life becomes one waking, ongoing dream within a dream. </p><p>Hazel gets transported to the land of the Night Shifters, and she has to navigate herself through this world in which it's hard to tell friend from foe. She might find a secret destiny, and love along the way. And the power to make her real life more exciting than her dreams.</p>