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 Surf of Time by Mariah Stone
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The Surf of Time*
Fun But Sometimes Sad Viking Time-Travel Romance
I have read some of the other books in this series, and I find this one a worthy addition to it. I quite enjoyed this love story of Andor and Cathy. The author explored some serious themes, like letting go of a painful past, self-forgiveness, and when to let someone go. I was pulled right into the story by the prologue, and I couldn’t help but feel empathy for the hero for what he suffered. Sympathy for the heroine was similarly garnered in the next chapter. While this book definitely has some heavy moments for both of the main characters, there was also a fair amount of humor. I especially enjoyed the running gag about the Vikings and yoga! (The heroine was a super crunchy vegan yoga instructor in California before she time travelled.) I thought both of the main characters were well drawn and their motivations and fears understandable. All in all, I thought this was a well-written story.
How to Find Your Passion by Steven Hopkins
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How to Find Your Passion*
Not the Definitive Guide, But Some Useful Tips
At the beginning of this book, the author states that he believes this is the ultimate guide for finding your passion. While I don’t quite agree with that broad statement, I do think this book does have some worthwhile tips and processes that will help you figure out more about yourself as well as give you clues as to what could drive a more passionate life for you. There are some familiar tools here, like the Myers-Briggs test, but there are also some concepts that were relatively new to me, and I found to be actually quite helpful. I had heard of ikigai before but had never seen it really explained or explored. It fit in perfectly in this book and actually gave me quite a bit to think about.
This is a relatively short book, so there is no way that it could be the ultimate guide to finding your passion. In fact, in the section on how to turn your passion into a career, the length of the description of the steps is almost laughable. Still, in each chapter, the author does give some useful pointers as well as some exercises and other food for thought. All in all, I found this to be a good read that got me thinking. I like books that do that!
If You Give a Smuggler a Secret by Chloe Flowers
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If You Give a Smuggler a Secret*
Well-Written Story, But…
I am of several minds about this book. I actually found the characters engaging. I thought the hero and heroine had good chemistry. The plot kept moving, and there was a lot going on. So, in general, I liked the story as given. But I had other issues with aspects of this book. While I wouldn’t call what happens at the end to be a true cliffhanger, the book does end very abruptly, in the middle of a pivotal scene (it feels like). I chose this book to review on a book review site because I enjoy historical romance, but I am accustomed to romances–even those in a series–that end the couple’s main story. This series is actually a set of episodic novels that tell the full tale of the couple. As a series isn’t typically set up this way, I think the author should let readers know in the book blurb that the book doesn’t stand on its own and that you will need to buy the other books to get the couple’s full story. That way, people can decide if they want to invest in an entire series or not. Not everybody likes episodic tales. Some readers prefer to have the full story all at once. My other issue with this book is that I prefer my Regencies to be written in a somewhat elevated style. I don’t mean in an inaccessible, hoity-toity way, but rather I equate the use of one word or phrase paragraphs and sentence fragments with contemporary romance writing. I think historical romance needs to have full sentences and proper paragraphs, or else it doesn’t feel wholly historical.
EDITED August 2019: I just wanted to give an update because I noticed now that the blurb for this book has been amended to at least hint that the books in this series are episodic in nature. I appreciate the author doing that. I still won’t change my rating, because I think the ending of this book was too abrupt, even knowing that it is episodic in nature.
100 Stocks that a Young Warren Buffett Might Buy by James Pattersenn, Jr.
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100 Stocks that a Young Warren Buffett Might Buy*
Interesting Analysis of Historically Winning Stock Strategy
In this rather long book, the author first gives some background on both Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, his right-hand man, before giving a brief analysis of their investing style. The author then goes on to provide just a little bit of advice about how to manage your portfolio and other stock advice. But the bulk of the book by a large margin is the hundred stocks mentioned in the title. The author does give his choosing criteria based on his analysis of Buffett and Munger’s investing style. This is definitely not a book that you sit and just read straight through. You can do that with the first part, the more theoretical part, but the section on each of the specific stocks themselves should only be taken in small doses. The author made me curious enough that I think it would be interesting to follow these companies to see if he is correct in his assessments. All in all, I found it to be an interesting glimpse into two men who have amassed such wealth, as well as into the mind of the author—whom I’ve read before. I find books were people make analyses like these to be fascinating.
The Soul Frequency by Shanna Lee
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The Soul Frequency by Shanna Lee*
Not Quite What I Was Expecting from the Subtitle and Blurb
I am trying, and having a hard time, to put my finger on exactly what this book is about. What the author says in the subtitle and the blurb of the book doesn’t quite match up with my experience of it. It felt like a series of small essays about things that happened in her life where she learned something, and each of these little essays ends with a series of questions for you to ponder the theme of the essay (or ideas brought up in it). Some of it was interesting and insightful, but a lot of it felt like just navel-gazing without depth or true purpose, an all too common ailment of books written by personal coaches. If you already know and like this author, you will most likely find this book that delves into much of her personal life (and the insights gleaned) to be interesting. As someone for whom this book is the first introduction to the author, at times I felt like I was experiencing a bit of TMI overload.
The Stolen Papyrus by Cate M. Turner
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The Stolen Papyrus*
Some Flaws Mar Total Enjoyment
I was very nearly turned off this book when on my first Kindle screen I saw two words that were misused, the close-but-no-cigar type words. This did happen throughout the text, as if the author was grasping to sound either more erudite or poetic. This book did hold a few surprises but not of the good kind. The cover is a bit misleading. While there is a romantic element, it is relatively mild and feels minor compared to the rest of the story. Given that romantic feel of the cover, too, I wasn’t quite expecting the level of violence, and I am not really a fan of that. The author did do a good job, however, of showing the world through the characters’ eyes. I especially thought she did a good job with the heroine. You could feel her excitement about joining what she knew could be an amazing dig. You could also sense her disappointment when she realizes that the hero, with whom she has a complicated past, is also a part of it. The author did a fantastic job of showing the setting, both Egypt and the alternating senses of boredom and excitement of an archaeological dig. The visual descriptions were particularly detailed, but not overly much so, and engaging. So to me, all in all, this book was an odd mixture of parts, some that were very good and some that were disappointing.
Siren Song Gone Wrong by Lucy May
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Siren Song Gone Wrong*
More Slice of Pre Wedding Life Than Mystery
I have read several of the mysteries in this series, and I find them to be humorous and warm paranormal cozies. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book just as a reader, I felt that this installment was a little light on the mystery aspect. It starts a month before the wedding of Liam and Moira. For those of you who are not familiar with the series, Moira is the one from whose perspective we see the stories unfold. To be honest, this felt more like a bit of a slice-of-life moment before the big day. Yes, there was an interesting little side arc about sirens, but I felt like it was more about family dinners and conversations with friends about the upcoming wedding and the couple’s future. I did find the theme about destiny to be interesting, which did elevate this story to be somewhat more than just that slice of life just mentioned. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think the prologue just should have been the last chapter or two. It wasn’t a true prologue. All in all, not the best of this series, but if you’ve already read other books in it, you will most likely enjoy the run-up the big fated marriage.
The Heir of Windacre by Thalia Blake
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The Heir of Windacre*
The Hunger Games… Naimonet Version
I have read the other books in this series as well as the prequel, and I have quite enjoyed the stories that this author has spun for the imaginary world that she has created in Naimonet. This book is a worthy addition to the series. It definitely has a Hunger Games vibe, but the author has definitely given it her own spin. Windacre is the only principality in Naimonet that doesn’t have a hereditary kingship. A new king is chosen every 18 years by tournament; the final one standing is the new ruler. Reina is a young girl who works hard at a lumber mill to support her family. At the beginning of the book, it is clear that she is weighted down by this responsibility, as her father is gone and her mother is an unrepentant money spender. Despite all the things that happen to her in the book–and there are plenty–Raina is strong, brave, and willing to do what it takes to survive but not go so far as to jeopardize her integrity. In this book, she has a lot of hard choices, and she doesn’t always make the right one; she always does have the best intentions. There’s an interesting cast of characters besides Reina, and the tournament certainly shows both the good and bad in people. I enjoyed the story, finding it to be quite the page-turner as I wanted to find out what Reina would be up against next and how she would handle it.
Abducted by Magic by Kelli McCracken and Elena Gray
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Abducted by Magic*
Compelling World and Well-Drawn Characters Pull You In
This story pulls you right in, as the first narrator is a witch who has been fatally injured but wants to find someone to pass on her magic to. After this first chapter, the others are narrated by the heroine and her guardians. I normally don’t like first-person point of view, but these authors pulled it off very well. I felt like I was living the story with the narrators. Even though there were quite a few POV characters, the authors managed to give them unique voices and ways of looking at their world. That’s not easy to do in general, and it certainly isn’t easy to do when there are so many! I absolutely adored all the main characters, Katarina and her men. The story was so full of twists and turns. The combination of great characters, well-written prose, and fast-paced action made it a book that was hard to put down. I quite enjoyed it, and I look forward to the rest of the series.
Gold by Krystal M. Anderson
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Gold*
Well-Written Western Romance
I am a huge lover of historical romance, but my typical go-to read is more along the lines of Regency or medieval. Lately, I have been trying out a few Western romances, and I am finding that I am enjoying these as well as the other two. There’s usually some crazy melodrama and wild incidents, like things with railroads or mines, that you only see in westerns. This book is an excellent example of why I am testing the waters of western romance. This story was just plain fun, with all of the hijinks that one expects from a western. Plus the hero and the heroine were complex characters who first mixed like oil and water. I so enjoyed their first bantering and interactions while Charlie was recuperating after his treacherous flume ride. Charlie, the hero, is definitely a daredevil—what we’d call an adrenaline junkie today—but he has a big heart and truly cares for people whom he cares for. Virginia, the heroine, is at times a no-nonsense lady. She has to be, as she is working a couple of jobs, including helping the local doctor as a nurse, to pay off her father’s debts. The book has a surprising harrowing incident that actually keeps you on edge to see how it’s going to turn out. All in all, this was a fantastically well-done western romance with engaging characters and a well-paced plot.
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