Mothers of Fate
“With her usual engaging prose, Lynne Hugo unspools a tender tale of parenthood in all its many faces as her characters struggle to live with the outcome of their past decisions. Those past choices color the present in bold strokes, raising the stakes to keep the pages turning. Hugo’s compassion for her characters—and her readers--shines through.” Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of The Last House on the Street
“Lynne Hugo’s brilliantly prismatic story is about choice verses destiny, forgiveness versus acceptance, all told through the lens of a heartbreaking adult adoptee, his adoptive parents, his birth mother who is now desperate to contact her son, and the attorney she hires who is part of a Lesbian couple with an adopted bi-racial child. Secrets emerge, relationships fracture, but out of the wreckage, Hugo has built a moving, extraordinary story of hope. I loved it.” Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder
“Choice, destiny, or force? Wrapped around the threads connecting the mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives caught in a decades-secret and fraught adoption are the ingredients for disaster—or deliverance— for all. Lynne Hugo, a writer of immense talent and rare insight, dips her sharp yet sympathetic pen in a well of revelation as she brings each character to life. I cared and worried about all of them, despite their transgressions, rooting for them to find their path. Pages whipped by in my need to discover their fates. Mothers of Fate places self-determination on the stand.” Randy Susan Meyers, international bestselling author
“In Mothers of Fate, Hugo explores, from many angles, the often beautiful, sometimes difficult, and always complex relationships surrounding any adoption—relationships with those you love the most and with those that you have never met. I found myself turning the pages quickly, hoping that each character would find their own version of peace.” Jeff Hoffmann, author of Like It Never Happened and Other People's Children
"... one of the strengths in Lynne Hugo’s writing lies in her ability to blend seemingly disparate topics and influences into a unified examination of choices, consequences, and resonating hardship and revelations.
Readers will especially appreciate Mothers of Fate’s ability to contrast very different ideals of love,
family, and poverty on a level that sings with emotional connection and resonates with life questions and values." Midwest Book Review
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The Language of Kin
"A work of fiction that rises to an impressive level of literary excellence..." Midwest Book Review
“An engrossing novel that is sure to tug at anyone’s heartstrings.” Readers’ Favorite
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"Above all, The Language of Kin is a beautifully written and poignant tale of compassion and love for the people and creatures that surround us." BookTrib
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"....everything that I look for in a five-star plus read - a fantastic plot with likable main characters who are very well written plus the opportunity to learn something new. " Girl Who Reads
"The Language of Kin takes something we all possess but likely take for granted—our ability to communicate with others—and has us examine that gift with new eyes. Hugo’s words are beautiful, but this riveting story shows us how words can often fail, and forces us to see the many other ways we communicate, sometimes even unintentionally. This novel is an emotional read full of page-turning highs and cathartic sorrows. I fell in love with this complicated, compelling cast, both human and otherwise." Katrina Kittle, author of Morning In This Broken World
"Brilliant, fascinating and deeply moving ... gracefully written, this is a book that astonishes, even as it shows the way to cross divides ... Full of science, love and drama, I couldn't love this book more if I tried." Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You
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"A timeless and immersive story exploring the complexities of human engagement and the lengths we will go for those we love." Donna Everhart, USA Today bestselling author of The Education of Dixie Dupree
"Filled with empathy for all and a plot that will keep you flipping pages as fast as you can." Audrey Schulman, author of the Philip K Dick award winning Theory of Bastards
"Hugo takes a compelling look at the ethical issues and connections between humans and our fellow animals. The Language of Kin offers a well-researched, unbiased perspective into this multifaceted issue through a well-written, captivating story.” Samantha Russak, Ph.D., Primatologist
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A Matter of Mercy
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"With dazzling prose, a merciless eye for truth, and a gotta-know story, A Matter of Mercy stapled me to the couch. Between the remarkable story of class war and aquaculture in Wellfleet, grief etched in acid on glass, and the miracle of love in the most unlikely of connections, author Hugo offers pure gold." Randy Susan Meyers, international bestselling author, Waisted
"There are two love stories in Lynne Hugo’s masterful A Matter of Mercy: the burgeoning relationship of two people struggling to forgive themselves for past mistakes and Hugo’s ode to the wild beauty and traditional way of life of outer Cape Cod. At the heart of this compelling novel is a 1996 lawsuit in which a new resident challenged the rights of Wellfleet oyster farmers to harvest shellfish on the flats in front of his vacation home. Seamlessly blending fascinating historical detail with a legal drama and a contemporary romance, Hugo exquisitely captures not only the wind-swept landscape of the outer Cape, but also the complicated landscape of the heart." Karen Dukess, author of The Last Book Party
“… full of intrigue and heart, as gritty as the inside of a clamshell and tender as a beach sunset. You won’t soon forget this story of two Cape Cod residents struggling against the tides for mercy and reaching out for each other despite the dark currents of their own pasts.” Jenna Blum, The New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us, The Stormchasers and "The Lucky One” in Grand Central.
“A richly detailed, intimate look at the struggles of love and hard work and hard choices. With wisdom and compassion, Lynne Hugo explores how we sometimes find our homes in the places and people we’ve left behind. This book draws you in and won’t let you go. A Matter of Mercy is the kind of novel one longs to read – beautifully written, full of crooked fates, terrible loss and hard-won second chances.” Laura Harrington, author of Alice Bliss and winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction
“I absolutely loved A Matter of Mercy. The characters were entirely human and real, and very sympathetically drawn. writing, and a wonderful sense of place. I highly recommend A Matter of Mercy, especially for readers who enjoy the books of Nancy Thayer and Jodi Picoult.” Bibliophiliac
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“Hugo manages to beautifully blend a love story with a mystery, with a story about forgiveness, all set in a fascinating place that becomes an important character in the book.” Bookchick
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“Lynne Hugo has rendered a universe so precise it sings of truth and so human it plucks at all the right strings…a symphony for both the heart and the ear.” Kim Triedman, author of The Other Room
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​"A Matter of Mercy is a compelling tale of the “little man” taking on money, wealth, and power, desperately trying to retain their generational livelihood. Author Lynne Hugo perfectly captures the timeless beauty of this area and the unrelenting struggle of generations of Cape Cod aqua farmers to wrench a living from the tidal flats ... Love and the overwhelming need to seek forgiveness are the cornerstones of this novel but it also offers a unique insight into a lifestyle few of us have encountered before." Grant Leishman Readers' Favorite
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"Hugo uses well-developed characters and multiple side plots to explore recurrent themes of loss, grief, redemption, and mercy. She skillfully portrays the intensity of her characters’ emotions, enabling readers to share their pain, anxiety, and frustration." The US Review of Books