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.
Who Shot the Serif? by Daisy Robyns
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Who Shot the Serif?*
Jamie Sticks Her Foot In It… Literally
This is the second book I’ve read in this series, and I quite enjoy it. I love the character of Jamie Lang. She’s the professional hand letterer mentioned in the series title, and she just seems to get herself mixed up with trouble! In this book, she literally stumbles upon the dead body of a woman with whom she had an argument the day before. When town suspicion about Jamie’s involvement starts to cut into her business, she knows she has to help try to help figure out who actually murdered the woman. I like Jamie because she actually has a very detailed eye, which would seem very typical for her profession, that allows her to see things that may be others wouldn’t. She’s a good character for an amateur sleuth. The author has done a good job creating the quirky community of the story; that is so important in a cozy mystery. I just hope in the next one, which I am looking forward to, that Jamie herself is not a suspect!
Falls Ende: The Oath by Paul W. Feenstra
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Falls Ende: The Oath*
Engaging Medieval Story
I love to read fiction set in the medieval era, and the author did a good job making this story feel authentic to those harsh and brutal times. The characters are well drawn, especially Odo. I could sense his frustration about being so low in the social pecking order as well as his occasional desperation about his plight. I thought the book fell victim to overlong narration. In fact, the entire first 10% of the book is all description of a hunt without a whisper of dialogue. I like to have my fiction more balanced between dialogue and narration. Some of the descriptions within the longer narrative sections are a bit long and too detailed, slowing down the forward motion of the story. That said, I did find the story arc interesting and engaging.
To Love a Duke by Diana DeHaven
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To Love a Duke*
Too Short Cinderella-type Romance
I wasn’t wild about this book. For one thing, I thought all of the characters sounded alike. I couldn’t distinguish their tones or word choice enough to make them individual. Some language choice seemed a bit over-the-top, even for a historical romance. For instance, the butler at one point actually uses the phrase “commence swimmingly” when referring to the progress on the duke’s birthday bash. This story is a spin on Cinderella, with a seamstress as the heroine. After a very haughty Lady Josephine, whom the dowager duchess wants the duke to marry, accidentally dropped her invitation to the ball in the seamstress shop, Emma and her friend decided that it would be fun if Emma pretended to be a lady and went to the ball. This is a novella, so there wasn’t much time for the romance between the duke and the pretend Lady Emma to develop. This story needed more room to breathe. Probably in just this little bit I’ve told you, you can imagine what was the big black moment in the book. So, it felt a little predictable.
Social Skills Training Collection by Gerald Confienza
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Social Skills Training Collection*
May Help If Socially Awkward or Introverted
This box set includes three different books that the author states will help you in social situations if you consider yourself to be socially awkward or introverted. The first book covers what the author considers to be social intelligence, including understanding body language and voice tonality, and then branches out into ways to put your best foot forward in conversation, work environments, dating, and social media. The second book is geared toward the social introvert. The third book is about conversation and drills down into specifics like how to maintain the flow at the beginning, middle, and end of a conversation as well as how to handle difficulties if they come up and specific ideas for particular scenarios. Each of these topics is relatively short, but the author actually does have some good tips and insights on all of these topics. Two of the books within the set end with a 30-day challenge to get the reader engaged. While this book wouldn’t teach a socially awkward or introverted person everything they need to know about these topics, it does provide some key concepts that could help make social interactions less awkward by giving the person strategies for different situations.
Narcissist by Keith Coleman
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Narcissist*
Narciccism, For Those Being Manipulated by It
This is a surprising book. After having read so many nonfiction books that take a shallow look a topic, this was refreshingly detailed yet concise. The author first describes and then defines narcissism, even using and explaining the detailed clinical definition. Clinical narcissism has an exact definition that the ordinary person may not think of when they hear the term. It is not just merely being self-centered; someone diagnosed with narcissism is manipulative of those with whom they are in a relationship, often to the detriment of the other person. He then digs deeper and discusses the weapons that narcissistic can use against people they interact with. This book is meant for people who are at the mercy of the narcissist, not for the narcissist himself or herself. So a further section gives ideas about how to cope with a narcissist if you must have one in your life. He ends the book with tips on how to overcome narcissistic abuse. If you have a controlling and manipulative person in your life who only seems to think about themselves, whether or not you term him or her a true narcissist, this book will help clarify what may be going on and give tips and strategies for dealing with the situation.
Lover’s Gift by Adom Sample
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Lover's Gift*
Stunning Deep Perspective Read
This is a fantastic book. I don’t think I’ve read perspective this deep ever. The book alternates between the viewpoints of Isabella, Dante, and Nathan. Isabella and Nathan are in a rather horrid marriage at the start, and Dante is a man who has become obsessed with Isabella and believes that he loves her from afar. I’m not going to go into too much detail because this book needs to be experienced first hand, as it is so emotionally raw. I thought the cover was a little misleading because, for whatever reason, I thought this was a historical book, but it is a contemporary romance. There is a bit more profanity than I am comfortable with, but it actually made contextual sense within the story. It wasn’t gratuitous. This book is definitely dark at times, as books about controlling relationships can be. If you don’t mind a little darkness and little profanity, this book is a stunning experience.
Brotherhood of Dragons by Sarah J. Stone
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Free with Kindle Unlimited
Brotherhood of Dragons*
Nice Set of Interconnected Dragon Shifter Novels
Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m a massive fan of cheaply priced box sets. I love books that are written in a series, but sometimes it can be frustrating as a reader to have to wait for the next installment! How delightful to have them all together so you can binge read. While each book could stand on its own, each being about a different brother from the same family, the entire series has an overarching and interweaving plot which adds depth to the stories and reader experience. We also get to see the various characters interact throughout all the books. I love that. If you enjoy books about dragon shifters, this set should tick all the boxes for you.
The Diamont Hunt by Wendy Meadows
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The Diamond Hunt*
Not Her Best Work
I am a fan of Wendy Meadows’ mysteries in general, and I have enjoyed other books in this series. I like books with groups of strong women, so I have enjoyed the interaction between Hillary, her daughter Annabelle, and their friend Rose. Not only was this book too short to fully explore the mystery, but Annabelle and Rose were only in it for a very short time. I missed their group dynamic. Given the shortness of the book, I thought there was a little too much description in places of what went on before in the other books of the series. I found this book to be a disappointment, but I know the author normally has the chops, so I am hoping that the next book of this series will be a more enjoyable one.
A Tempting Wager by Karen Sommers and Emilee Harris
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A Tempting Wager*
Charming, Well-Written Regency
What a charmingly well-written Regency! Sometimes, it feels like it is so rare to find an author who knows how to create well-drawn, emotionally resonant, and sympathetic characters who are dealing with personal conflicts that makes sense for them and the times as well as evoke the scenes in such beautiful word pictures that a reader can immediately feel immersed in the world of the story. The couple’s meet-cute was perfect for Regency. Her carriage is mired in the mud, and even though he doesn’t want to, the hero’s gentlemanly conscience does not allow him to pass up a damsel in distress. The attraction was instant and mutual (though they both charmingly felt that they’d acted the buffoon and made a terrible impression), but the author made it feel realistic; it didn’t seem like the insta love that seems to happen too often in romances these days. The language of the text was how I like it to be in a good historical, elevated but accessible. I loved the hero’s interactions with his father; he was appropriately quite biting at times. If you like Regency, this is one you should add to your reading list.
Second Chances, Fake Fiances, and Weddings
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Second Chances, Fake Fiances, and Weddings*
Clean but Uninspired Romance Box Set
This collection contains six novellas, two each from three of the author’s series: Second Chances for Love, The Gazette’s Fake Fiance’s, and Marrying Nashville.
For the two from Second Chances for Love, I felt the stories lacked a certain emotional honesty that we expect in romance. These are second chances at romance, so the reasons for the couples to part need to be solid. In these two novellas, the backstories of the romances didn’t seem realistic, putting both stories on shaky ground. In the first, Mark decided that he was more interested in pursuing his own wants and needs, and instead of just moving on, he insults the heroine’s art, which ends up having a ripple effect in her life, first causing her to doubt her abilities and then to stop believing in herself in a broader sense. When they meet again and have to work together some years later, he is contrite, but much has changed about her. In the second story, it might be a stretch even to call it a second chance at romance because they never really had a romance. The couple shared a kiss in the past after which the hero became distant because he was unsure if he wanted their relationship to move forward. Second chance? This one never had a first.
I did enjoy the two from the Gazette series more, but I think I might have because I found the concept of having a newspaper as a backdrop for the stories to be interesting. I enjoyed Samantha’s story more than Opal’s. I thought Opal was a bit too shallow; she didn’t seem to give her decisions and actions much thought. The two novellas from the marrying Nashville the series weren’t quite my cup of tea because I’m not a particular fan of billionaire or Cowboy romance.
The books had some of the common issues with punctuation, grammar, and usage. All in all, these are six relatively quick reads that are clean, but that is the most I can say to recommend them. If you are wanting to see if any of the series interest you, this sample pack could help you figure it out.
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