About the Book: 
MY MOTHER’S SECRET: A NOVEL OF THE JEWISH AUTONOMOUS REGION 
BY ALINA ADAMS

Publication Date: November 15, 2022
History Through Fiction LLC
Genre: Historical Fiction

With his dying breath, Lena‘s father asks his family a cryptic question: “You couldn’t tell, could you?” After his passing, Lena stumbles upon the answer that changes her life forever.

As her revolutionary neighbor mysteriously disappears during Josef Stalin’s Great Terror purges, 18-year-old Regina suspects that she’s the Kremlin’s next target. Under cover of the night, she flees from her parents’ communal apartment in 1930s Moscow to the 20th century’s first Jewish state, Birobidzhan, on the border between Russia and China. Once there, Regina has to grapple with her preconceived notions of socialism and Judaism while asking herself the eternal question: What do we owe each other? How can we best help one another? While she contends with these queries and struggles to help Birobidzhan establish itself, love and war are on the horizon.

New York Times Bestselling author Alina Adams draws on her own experiences as a Jewish refugee from Odessa, USSR as she provides readers a rare glimpse into the world’s first Jewish Autonomous Region. My Mother’s Secret is rooted in detailed research about a little known chapter of Soviet and Jewish history while exploring universal themes of identity, love, loss, war, and parenthood. Readers can expect a whirlwind journey as Regina finds herself and her courage within one of the century’s most tumultuous eras.

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Review: 
​As Lena's father says his last words, he unleashes a secret that her mother has kept for Lena's entire life.  As Lena's mother, Regina tells of her past, Lena learns about her mother's traumatic past.   As a young woman, Regina was afraid that she would be the next target of Stalin's Terror Purge. Regina decides that it would be safest for her to escape to the Jewish Autonomous Region, Birobidzhan only to find a struggling community led by fear.  Regina finds good in Aaron Kramer, who dares to speak up and share his ideas.  When Aaron is punished with an enlistment in the Red Army, Regina follows him as a field nurse.  When she is informed that Aaron has been captured, Regina makes her way on foot with her newborn daughter to the prisoner of war camp where he is being held.  Now, Lena and Regina desperately try to find the man that Regina still loves.


My Mother's Secret is an inspiring story of hope, choices, courage and taking chances.  I didn't know anything about the Jewish Autonomous Region, so this was a particularly enlightening story.  I was constantly amazed by Regina's ability to keep going in the face of fear and tragedy.  The part of the story that took place inside Birobidzhan was disheartening, yet expertly researched. I could feel the desperation and despair, yet the need to work together and persevere.  While this section moved a bit slowly for me, it was important to learn about the experiences there and was an integral part of Regina's growth and decision making process. I was continually impressed with Regina as she found the courage to follow Aaron into war and continuously had the conviction within herself to keep going, even when the choices were heartbreaking.  In the end, I was glad that hearing Regina's story led Lena to understand more about her mother and her decisions in raising her as well as examine her own choices in life. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author
Alina Adams is the NYT-bestselling author of soap-opera tie-ins, figure-skating mysteries, and romance novels. Born in Odessa, USSR, Adams immigrated to the United States at age seven and learned to speak English by watching American Soap Operas. After receiving her B.A. and M.A. in broadcast communications at San Francisco State University, Adams worked in television as a writer and researcher. Years later she penned the As The World Turns book tie-in, Oakdale Confidential, which became a New York Times bestseller. Adams continued writing and is now a prolific and innovative writer who has authored more than a dozen books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her latest release, The Nesting Dolls, is a Soviet-Jewish historical novel published by HarperCollins in July 2020. Her upcoming novel, My Mother’s Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region, a follow-up to her previous historical novel, is set for release in November 2022. Adams lives in New York City with her husband and their three children.
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​Small-time crook Jake Barnum lives in Hell's Kitchen, 1978,  just scraping by.  His family needs money to take care of Jake's little brother, Emile, who was born with a disability.  When a new opportunity falls into Jake's lap at a Halloween party, Jake happily agrees. A woman dressed as Marilyn Monroe offers Jake a position with the Desire Card, an operation that allows wealthy clients to have any dream fulfilled.  Jake begins with simple tasks, but moves through the ranks quickly and learns how the card really makes its money dealing in drugs and death.  

Immoral Origins is a fast-paced thriller where I never knew what was coming next.  Like other Lee Matthew Goldberg books, I was completely immersed in the time period and setting of Hell's Kitchen in the late 1970's with descriptions of music, people, clothing, the apartments, diners and clubs.  The characters are also all dynamic and surprising.  I was really intrigued by all of the members of The Card wearing a mask of a celebrity and assuming their name, eventually taking on their mask's character, mannerisms and voice.  The masks also seemed to fulfill something different for each character, Marilyn's beauty and Jake's need to fit in with his Errol Flynn persona. The Card as an organization was interesting as well.  Their true nature, greed and hold over the city slowly spilled out as Jake began to climb through the ranks.  However, as Jake became more ingrained with The Card, the dangerous tasks that they asked him to do seemed less against his morals.  


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​After a short stint in Iraq, sniper J.D. Storm is discharged with a career ending eye injury.  After losing his way and suffering through depression, he is recruited into the Desire Card organization, a shadow organization that promises any wish to be fulfilled for those who can pay enough.  The Desire Card gave him the persona of James Dean and put his sniper skills to use.  After years of killing, one job gets to J.D. and he begins to question his part in the Card.  J.D. leaves his mark alive and knows that he must disappear.  However, the reach of the Card is deeper than J.D. would have guessed and now he must kill off the other members of the Card sent to dispatch him or be killed himself.

Prey No More is the second book in The Desire Card series.  I would recommend reading book one, Immoral Origins, first since it explains how the Desire Card operates.  Prey No More jumps right into the action as J.D. is deciding what boundaries he is willing to break for the Card and how to escape their clutches.  From there, the action continues as the writing jumps back and forth through time as J.D. is recruited by the card, enters their clutches, receives the assignment that causes him to leave and is on the run.  The characters are all very realistic, fully developed and make you feel for them even if you don't like them very much.  J.D. goes through several transformations as he enters and is discharged from the military and enters and attempts to leave the Card. More of how the Card functions and the mysterious man behind the Clark Gable mask is revealed as J.D. attempts to bring down the Card.  With an ominous ending, I can't wait to jump into the next book in The Desire Card.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Kyle Dillon believes he has finally moved on from the sexual abuse he received from his boss when he was a model.  Now, as a food photographer, Kyle has a steady career and a loving girlfriend, Rebecca.  Rebecca had personal troubles of her own, but since therapy has overcome them.  On the side Rebecca blogs about overcoming her troubles on Bedroom Diaries.  Her site gains the attention of the magazine, MOD and Rebecca happily jumps into a new endeavor.  However, she learns that the executive at MOD is exactly who hurt Kyle.  Rebecca thinks there is no way that they'll be connected, but Rebecca's involvement with MOD takes a toll on Kyle.  Luckily, Kyle is also going to counseling.  The secrets that Kyle and Rebecca have kept come to a head as  Kyle's sister's wedding approaches and soon become unavoidable. 

What We Never Say is hard hitting contemporary fiction.  Centering around male survivors of sexual abuse, but covering a wide variety of issues such as seeking help, female pleasure and reporting abusers, What We Never Say covers a lot of topics in one story.  Opening right into the action as Rebecca discovers a secret from Kyle's past, the entire book carries a tumultuous undercurrent as secrets are revealed to the reader that not all of the characters know.  Suspense was created as the consequences of all of the secrets began to unravel and affect the lives of every character.  Each of the characters were very realistic and  flawed in some way.  While I definitely didn't agree with all of their decisions, it made for a fast paced entertaining read.  In the end, everyone did receive the help that they needed and actions were accounted for. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​For generations, the massive Texas ranch, The Thorn has been run by a Rosales matriarch.  Now that Emma, the fifth generation of Rosales women has graduated college with a degree in veterinary medicine, she is gearing up for her inevitable duties on The Thorn.  Emma decides to take her horse and ride around some of the less explored areas of The Thorn's property; however, Emma becomes stranded in the wilderness, a several days walk from home.  She is rescued by an unlikely group of people, the first people to inhabit the land of The Thorn, long before it belonged to the Rosales family and who still inhabit the land in secret.  Simply calling themselves The People, Emma is amazed at their way of living.  Although, when she asks to return home, The People fear for their own safety if Emma were to return and tell of their presence.  Meanwhile, at The Thorn, Emma's parents lead a frantic search for their daughter and the heir of the land.  

The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch is an unlikely adventure combined with ancient secrets and romance.  From the beginning, the internal strength as well as momentous responsibility of the Rosales women is made known.   I loved that The Thorn was a Texas Ranch run by a matriarchal line.  I could feel how much they cared for the land, the animals and the people that they worked with.  The writing switched between the points of view of Emma, her parents, and two of The People creating a fast-paced story that retained my interest.  Of course, Emma's storyline was the most interesting to me as she navigated the lands around The Thorn and learned to live a new life among the people.  Emma's internal strength, unique skill sets and mental fortitude helped her accept her new conditions and the people there.  I was amazed at the world that The People had continued to live in and their strength in persisting with their culture in a modern world.  Kai and Chatpa were amazing teachers and leaders as they too learned skills from Emma's world and accepted her knowledge as a woman from the outside world.  It was also interesting to see the disappearance from Emma's parent's point of view and how long they held out hope.  The ending wrapped up in an exciting, unexpected and beautiful way.  I'd love to know what happens next!

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.