Reading Fanatic Reviews
All Kindle Unlimited ReviewsNOTE: These books were in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program at the time that I posted the reviews. They may not still be in the program, as authors can opt out every 3 months. If you find a book that is no longer in the program, don’t hesitate to contact me, and I will update the review.
The Lost Lord by Carrie Lomax
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Lost Lord*
Depraved, Unlikeable Hero
I just did not like this book. For the first 10% of it, actually more, the hero is absolutely unlikable; this is the point at which we meet the heroine. The hero is an Englishman of noble birth who has been exiled to America by his elder brother who is now the earl. The earl blames the hero for their father’s death. In America, the hero lives a life of moral depravity—carrying on a sexual affair with a married woman—and squeaks by on an allowance from his brother, picking up a little more money helping a shipping company. When you read about him, he just comes across as a weak jerk. I wanted to find something interesting in his character that I could like or relate to, but I just couldn’t. He did start to change when the heroine showed up, but it was a little late by then.
There are also issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, which were sometimes distracting. Commas were particularly problematic. There was the overuse of the word “smirk”; this is a personal pet peeve of mine. (You can’t “smirk” a line of dialogue; go ahead… try it!) The married lover is absolutely despicable. The hero sees her for who she is, but because of his lust for her, he remains with her. Ugh. I felt sorry for the poor heroine, who actually seemed decent. I cannot recommend this book.
Million Dollar Date by Susan Hatler
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Million Dollar Date*
Opposites Attract… Laugh-out-Loud Funny
I’m always a little hesitant when a book proclaims itself humorous in its description. Usually, the author oversells this point; perhaps she WANTED it to be funny, but can she really know if others will find it funny; humor can be quite individual. But I actually did find this book refreshingly light and funny. Oh my gosh, the heroine’s head was such an interesting place to be in. She has a unique perspective on the world, that’s for sure. And in personality and outlook, she is directly opposite from the hero. Their meeting and first date—two separate incidences—actually did make me laugh out loud. It is so rare when a book does that. These two characters are as opposite as they can be—he’s a buttoned-up, strictly by-the-rules police officer, and she is an impulsive, wear-her-heart-on-her-sleeve kind of a girl. They are both decent people at heart, just in different ways.
There were problems with grammar, punctuation, and usage, enough to be distracting on occasion. There was inconsistent use of single and double quotes to emphasize single words or phrases in sentences; it’s an unusual error; authors usually pick one or the other, but here, the marks changed from incident to incident. But the book is still crazy fun, a quick and breezy read that is an actual delight. If you are a pet lover, you will especially be endeared by this story.
Weight Loss Mastery by Jonathan Green and S. J. Scott
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Weight Loss Mastery*
Good Habits but Some Issues
This book combines several ideas to aid weight loss framed in the form of habits that should be adopted. I’ve seen the concepts in other places but not necessarily together. The book not only contains five habits to cultivate for weight loss but also discusses what they call the six pillars of weight loss mastery, which are mostly about mindset. Within each of the habit sections, the authors list strategies and steps to achieve the habit.
The five habits that are the cornerstone of this book are nothing truly unique. They include things like making better food choices, mindful eating, and moving more. I thought the book started in a way that was perhaps a little shaming of someone who is overweight. Not everyone who is fat is afraid of intimacy, for instance, and to imply that and the other things mentioned, the authors seem to be saying that fat must (or should) equal personal shame for every person who is fat. This isn’t necessarily so, and for those teetering on the edge of self-worth problems because of weight issues, such discussion is more harmful than helpful. The first section also gives links to a bunch of studies about the dangers of obesity. Having studied as a nurse, I would caution against taking any one study’s results to be the be-all, end-all say in any matter.
The book’s subtitle states that this book will help you shed belly fat. “Flat belly” is certainly a buzz phrase at the moment. But in searching the book, I don’t really see where this is specifically about targeting belly fat—which you can’t really do anyway. The only mention of belly fat in the book is in the section on food talking about black beans! This section listed what the authors called “fat-burning” foods but actually gave no evidence or information about why these would be considered “fat burning.” They were just natural, healthy foods. I’d like to see the data on that a fat-burning claim. Despite this, the combination of habit-building techniques is actually pretty decent. There are just some issues with shaming voice, the somewhat disingenuous subtitle, and some of the “facts.”
Brides and Second Chances by Ruby Hill
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Brides and Second Chances*
Heartfelt Clean Romances
This is a large collection of short novellas, some of which I had read before. I’m a sucker for Christmas-themed stories (even in August), so I particularly enjoyed A Family for Christmas. Lysander is new to the small town in Georgia but blends in well even though he comes in from across the country. He and his two children are very nearly adopted by the couple next door. Their daughter is involved in a relationship with a guy who does not appreciate her; I was actually a little surprised at how much of the novel the bad boyfriend was in. These are novellas, so there isn’t much time for complex characterization or multi-level plots, yet the author is able to bring the emotional feels for most of the stories and create tension. Each story is distinct, which isn’t easy to do in a collection. If you enjoy the kind of feel-good, low-angst romance that you see on the Hallmark Channel, you will most likely enjoy these stories.
Princess Avenger by Bernadette Rowley
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Princess Avenger*
Fantasy Romance Fun
This story pulls you in right away, beginning with a scene where the princess is fleeing in a poor disguise after she has been injured. We soon learn more about her and her circumstances. I thought the author described things well, allowing you to feel you could see the scenes without it being overly descriptive. I thought, though, that some of her word choices weren’t appropriate, so it pulled me a little from the narrative flow as I was trying to determine why a particular word was being used and what the author was actually going for with it. The couple at the core of the story was fascinating to watch as their relationship grew and shifted and as they went up against those opposed to them. The book had some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, but I didn’t feel overly distracted by them. All in all, this is an enjoyable fantasy romance that will keep you turning the pages, especially the closer you get to the end.
Negotiate without Negotiating by Aaron Leyshon
Available at Amazon, Kobo, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
Negotiation without Negotiating*
Some Good Techniques for Collaborative Negotiation, Introvert or Not
In this book, the author combines two topics, introversion and negotiation. I found his section on introversion to be not wholly correct. I am wondering where he got some of his information from. The section did mention, of course, the Myers-Briggs test and the different types of introversion defined by it as well as something I had never heard of that uses the acronym of STAR (social, thinking, anxious, and restrained types of introversion). About the first third of the book or so discusses introversion in general, not really relating it to negotiation at all.
The negotiation section of the book takes up the bulk of it. I didn’t really find it to be super specific to introverts in negotiation; he just seemed to share some good insights into the process that anyone could use. I found the title to be a bit disingenuous because, of course, the book is actually about negotiation. It is just that the style that he proposes is more collaborative than adversarial, but it is still negotiation. I enjoy nonfiction, and I read a lot of it, but I found myself completely surprised that the author used mild profanity throughout the whole book. I don’t like seeing profanity in fiction, and I don’t particularly appreciate it in nonfiction. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen this happen in a nonfiction book that is about a business topic. I hope it doesn’t become a trend, as it has in some genres of contemporary romance. All in all, the author did share some good techniques for collaborative negotiation.
101 Writing Prompts by Jenn Maxwell
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
101 Writing Prompts*
Nice Collection of Prompts
As the title states, this book has 101 writing prompts. Though the subtitle states that this will help you write your novel, only one chapter of prompts (about plots) specifically deals with things you can do with the characters in your work-in-progress novel. Most of the prompts give either a time or a word-number deadline. The author divides the book into several sections, like memories and the supernatural. Now and again, I enjoy working with writing prompts, and I thought that some of these were good suggestions. In fact, #99 is one of my favorites. Some prompts here, like #100, could inspire variations. Some were surprisingly creative. Somewhere not simple, requiring you to do some research either online or out in the real world. If you enjoy writing prompts, this book may be a good addition to your collection.
The Triple Threat Guided Workouts by Yara Guillard
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Triple Threat Guided Workouts*
Workouts Safe for the Keto Diet and Intermittent Fasting
On Amazon, the title and book description state that this book is meant to be an audio book buddy for you to use during a workout. I’m not exactly sure how that works on the Amazon end, but when I got this from my favorite online book review site, it came as just a regular Kindle book. I think something is lost in the translation just looking at the words of an audiobook such as this. The author is a trainer who has created what she believes are effective workouts for her clients who are on the keto diet and use intermittent fasting. She has designed workouts that have three key elements, stretching and flexibility, low-level cardio, and stability exercises. She states that her clients have had very good results with this. The core of this book is essentially 12 different workouts. She wants you to set up a month’s long exercise regimen of three workouts per week, with at least a day off in between, so each of the 12 workouts is for one session. The exercises looked basic and good, appropriate for someone who is putting their body in a stress state. If you are into keto and intermittent fasting and have been wondering what to do for your workouts, this book may be just what you are looking for.
No More Bad Dates by Kate O’Keeffe
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
No More Bad Dates*
Light on Romance, Heavy on Family and Friends
I have read the books in the previous series, the one that this is a spin-off of. I really enjoyed that set of books. I didn’t find this book to be nearly as entertaining. I think it’s because I felt it was light on the actual romance. It is billed as a romantic comedy, after all, so you would expect some good romantic aspects. Not nearly as much interaction happened between the hero and the heroine as I would have thought or hoped. It seemed to be more about the heroine and her family and friends than the romantic relationship. There is definitely some humor here, for sure, and that is enjoyable. But I didn’t feel there was a good balance between the romance and the comedy; the romance took too long to develop. It is well written otherwise. The author does have a knack for writing about groups of female friends in a way that makes them feel like they could be real women you could meet.
Don’t Feel Stuck in Love by Jaclyn Nicole Johnston
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Don't Feel Stuck in Love*
Wonderful Collection of Exercises and Journaling That Could Be Used For More
I was surprisingly delighted by this book. I tend to be a very picky nonfiction reader because I have written some myself, and I really think that nonfiction should promise what it’s going to deliver and deliver on that promise. This book did that and then some.
While this book is about love, specifically finding your perfect ideal relationship, the exercises that she gives throughout the book could actually be applied to anything that you want to help bring about in your life, like pursuing your passion instead of just having a job. For instance, exercises and journaling about things like clearing blocks and figuring out what you really want can apply to many situations.
She sells herself short in the subtitle. This is not just a book about journaling. While each section has a journaling exercise, she has done so much more. She gives you actual tactile exercises to do for many topics, which do appear as though they would key into different aspects of your right and left brain and subconscious and conscious minds. The book is a bit jargon-y in places, with buzzwords like “kaizen” and mindset being used. But the exercises she offers are rock solid. Excellent job, Ms. Johnston.
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