Ann Bauer, writer extraordinaire. I see my readers scratching their heads while their minds are running frantically to the cognitive storage bins for any reference of that name. You may as well fire all of your mental employees because they won't find one. A problem which should certainly be remedied.

Ann Bauer, a woman who I've had the sincerest pleasure of meeting in person, is the author of two critically-acclaimed novels. Her second novel, The Forever Marriage, is about to be set on my nightstand while my left hand is about to pick up her first novel, A Wild Ride up the Cupboards.

When my cousin in Minnesota briefly introduced Ann ad I, I hardly thought anything of it. I did not even know she was a writer at that time. Though surprised when my cousin handed me her two novels and told me to read them, I hardly expected to fall head over heels in love with her work and enthralling storytelling gushing from every word on every page.

My reading list over the past year has certainly included dynamic female leads, but not quite as jarring as the protagonist, Carmen, in The Forever Marriage. While reading about Carmen, she becomes so real that I expected her to peel herself off of the page and appear magically in my room. As much as I would like to have a conversation with such an intriguing person, I'm alright leaving Carmen comprised by words so she can contribute to the plot.