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.
Musings of Malu by Mary Louise Graham
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Musings of Malu*
A Wonderful Legacy
What a wonderful tribute from a family to a beloved matriarch who was a writer for much of her 80 years, I believe. Her granddaughter has gathered her short stories and poems into one collection. Nothing has been edited or altered; these are her grandmother’s words as they were written over the course of her long life. The stories offer a fascinating slice-of-life glance at a very personal world through the decades. I especially enjoyed the poems, which are in the back of the anthology. The author did understand how to use spare but artistic language to convey thoughts and moods. Malu, short for Mary Louise, has left her family a beautiful legacy in these writings, and how wonderful of that family to share Malu’s artistic vision with the wider world.
Justice Lost and Found by Mika Kosey
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Justice Lost and Found*
Love This Tarot-Themed Series
I think I enjoyed this second book of this fascinating series more than the first. I absolutely adore the tarot theme, as I have been interested in the tarot for over 30 years. What a delight to see it woven so seamlessly into a book. I like how the author works on building the emotional relationships between Dee and her soulmates. Just because one has a destined love, with a past and future, doesn’t necessarily doesn’t mean it’s easy! But all the emotional feels did not detract from the action and suspense of the story. I don’t think it is necessarily easy for an author to pull that off, so I love it when it is done well. I particularly enjoyed watching Dee as she continued to evolve in all things magical and mystical. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I am curious to see where the tarot will take us next. I can recommend this book, but you definitely should read the first book before this one as it is not a standalone.
The C Word by Michelle MacQueen and Ann Maree Craven
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The C Word*
Another Good Installment in Amazing Series
This book wraps up the story of the six teens that were intimately involved in a car crash that killed one of their group. The authors did an excellent job of wrapping up the various loose threads in the previous books as well as what happened in this book. We finally got to see the whole picture of what happened on that fateful night; Addison’s and Julian’s parts fleshed it all out. I was pleased to see a friendship renewed in this story; this was wholly separate from the romance. Addison and Julian’s story didn’t feel like it had quite as much depth as the first two books of the series, but the authors did still address some very weighty issues in this book, including sexual assault, bullying, peer pressure, and drunk driving. I hadn’t liked Addison in the other books because of the way she treated her former friend Peyton, but this book goes a long way to show how and why Addison changed. I absolutely loved Julian in this book. Honestly, he has intrigued me in the little part he played in each previous book because he seemed to be such a quiet, thoughtful, and helpful young man. I absolutely adored that his way of coping with all that happened was writing a romance story—one in which he could take the hero’s role and create a happy ending that was harder for him to attain in real life. What a delightful and good metaphor! I enjoyed how Julian and Addison’s relationship deepened in real life while they were carrying on an anonymous online relationship as well. In the latter, neither knew that it was the other that they were chatting with. Again, another well-done book in this series. I think that this series could do with one or two books more, one focusing on Becks (who is such an interesting character) and one focusing on Meghan (because I think she needs to learn a lesson or two about life!).
Her Fake Irish Husband by Michele Brouder
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Her Fake Irish Husband*
Well-Done Fake Marriage Trope
I read a lot of romance, so I’m not unfamiliar with the trope of a fake marriage. This particular story, however, is an absolutely delightful spin on the theme. Rachel, the heroine, is a go-getter at her problem-solving company, and when an Irish earl, Thomas, comes looking for assistance finding a fake bride so he can hold on to his inheritance, she decides she is the best candidate for the short-term contract. It will also allow her to help some friends who need money. Thomas is a little taken aback that she has put herself forward, but Rachel’s boss believes it is a brilliant solution to a problem that needs fixing in less than a week. What made this story so fun was the banter and interaction between the characters as well as the fact that it actually did take them some time to develop feelings for each other. This is no insta-love book. Instead, they are two very different people who don’t come off to each other necessarily very well at the beginning but soon prove themselves to be better people than the other one first imagined. Rachel also helps Thomas navigate the press and deal with other issues. In the manor, Rachel has some problems that she must work through with the staff. There’s also some great humor with one of Thomas’s friends, Sammy. I wish he had more page time. I loved what we saw of Rachel’s family. The various relationships in this book felt authentic and relatable. If you enjoy the fake marriage trope, you will most likely enjoy this very well-done take on that theme.
Curse and Consequence by Savannah Jezowski
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Curse and Consequence*
An Unusual Mash-up of Regency and Fantasy
And now for something completely different! I am a huge fan of Jane Austen fanfiction, and while this is not a direct spinoff from any Jane Austen novel, there are hints and flavors in this book that call up the writings of Miss Austen. How to describe this book? Part of it tries so hard at humor, succeeding mostly, that it feels like romantic Regency farce meets magical, fantasy world. This mash-up of worlds can be endearing and funny, but at times, the farce gets to be too much and starts to border on mockery. Still, all in all, it was a fascinating and very different read.
Date Monsters Shifter Agency Box Set by Lisa Daniels
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Date Monsters Shifter Agency Box Set*
Fun Set of Shifter Novels
This box contains four novels in the Date Monsters series. The premise behind the entire series is that there is an agency that hires out a variety of shifters for different types of jobs, from sexy escort services to business consultants to bodyguards. The latter two may also include an element of the former mixed in. I’ll talk a little about each book below.
Date with a Dragon: In a very amusing scene, Lena has stuck her foot in it, stating that she has a hot relationship with an out-of-town dragon shifter… all because she doesn’t want to be a loser at her 10-year class reunion. She goes online and hires a shifter to be her date for the week, culminating in the reunion. Oskar, the wealthy son of the owner of the Date Monsters agency, is the one who says yes to her request (even though it is for far less than his usual fee). In the week leading up to the reunion, they to get to know each other, and a genuine attraction grows between them (though he is quite surprised at the way it is turning out). Will it all go up in flames, or will the fake boyfriend turn into a real one? This book had so many funny scenes. There is a rich vein of humor running through this book, starting right the very first moment. Lena is a people pleaser; Oskar is entitled and arrogant. But underneath it all, they are decent people who come to a better understanding of themselves and each other. The book does use a fair amount of profanity, so if you have an issue with that, you might want to stay away. There’s some suggestive talk throughout, but it doesn’t get too steamy until the end. In all, this is a delightful short dragon shifter romance that is a perfect way to while away a few hours.
Date with a Werewolf: While I like the hero in this book, and I love following his thoughts, I could never quite identify with the heroine, so this book didn’t quite work for me. I think I was turned off at first by the level of profanity, as I don’t remember that being as much of an issue in the other books I’ve read by her. I am just turned off by excessive profanity in books, as I think they tend to be the crutch of authors who don’t write so well (and I don’t believe this author falls in that category). I grew up reading books that didn’t have a lot of profanity, so it is always jarring when I read such in books. I also didn’t like her cavalier attitude about sex. In this book, the relationships between the sisters are fraught with some tension, and the hero actually walks into a circumstance that is perhaps more than he bargained for, with the state of the dilapidation of the ranch as well as the broken family relationships between the siblings due to their upbringing. I wish I could say that I liked this more, because I do like most of the other books by this author, but this one just didn’t do it for me.
Date with a Bear: This one follows on the last story featuring the sister ranch owners. This time, it’s Regina’s turn to be the focus. She is the eldest of the sisters and the one who took the brunt of their father’s abuse when they were children. Not only are cattle going missing on the ranch, but Regina is receiving death threats and other verbal harassment, so they bring in a family of bear shifters as bodyguards. Oswin becomes Regina’s personal bodyguard, and he gets to know the real woman beneath the prickly exterior. Together, they get to the bottom of what is happening on the ranch.
Date with a Tiger: In this one, the heroine decides to use someone from the Date Monsters agency play her fake boyfriend. Will it stay fake? Will her mother believe what’s going on?
Homepreneur by Amanda Brown
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Homepreneur*
Good Information, But Subtitle Doesn’t Match the Content
This book has some reliable, straightforward information about becoming an entrepreneur who is based at home rather than having an office or a store to conduct business. I found the subtitle to be misleading, though, as it states that the book will be about running a home-based business for optimal work-life balance. Very little is actually said about work-life balance. There is a chapter that’s specifically about that, and within a few chapters, there are a few nuggets that could be seen to be about that topic. Really, the book is about setting up a successful home-based entrepreneurial business. I do think that informational nonfiction needs to be super clear and on point; the title and subtitle should actually reflect what is in the book. In this case, it does not, but the book does still have useful information. There were some issues with grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage, the one jumping out at me at first was a mix-up of waiver and waver.
The book is split into four parts, and the author uses a construction model as a framework for the book. So, the Blueprint section discusses being a home-based entrepreneur in general, the Foundation section goes over key points like finances and routines, the Build section looks at ideas about marketing in a networked world and coping with change, and finally, the Interior Design section has topics that cover mindset, isolation, and habits. All in all, this book is full of good information, but it does not adequately address what it is promised in the title and subtitle.
Sugar Rush by Delilah Peters
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Sugar Rush*
Steamy, Fluffy Contemporary Romance
This contemporary romance is as light and fluffy as the title suggests. It had some interesting moments in the beginning. I particularly enjoyed the heroine’s relationship with her brother and the early moments of her fractious relationship with the hero. I thought it was so funny that the heroine’s nickname was Tickle. I thought things got a little too sensual too quickly for the hero and heroine given their history. But there were some definitely laugh-out-loud moments in the book. I didn’t really appreciate all the profanity. It started off rather light with the curse words, but they seem to increase as the book went on. This is definitely a steamy read, as much of the later portions of the book seem to be almost exclusively those kinds of scenes was just a little glue in between. If you take it for what it is, a steamy contemporary romance, you might enjoy this very light romance as a beach or weekend read.
An Earl’s Redemption by Joyce Alec
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An Earl's Redemption*
A Few Surprises for a Regency Romance
I thought that this story suffered from too much of an information dump right at the start. This is a somewhat longer novella, almost novel length, so the author did have time to sprinkle in the backstory as needed rather than reveal everything all at once. Parts of this story, though, were slightly different spins on what is typical for Regency romance. I liked how it was the hero who suffered from the ton’s disapproval for his actions during the previous Season. Usually, it is the lady’s reputation that is in danger in a Regency. The heroine is put upon by her family, and she is determined to forge her own destiny rather than stay within an uncaring family fold. So, she is not immune to the hero, despite his reputation. Much more is in the works in this story, including a naughty widow who would like to make the hero her next conquest. All in all, I found parts of the story amusing, but it did have the issues with too much backstory as well as problems with grammar, punctuation, and usage.
The Honeymooner by Melanie Summers
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The Honeymooner*
Fun Romantic Comedy with All the Feels
What a delightfully fun romantic comedy! I love the unique start to the book, showing maps to made-up places and an epistolary beginning to the book. Through these letters and emails, we clearly learn a bit of the backstory of the hero and the heroine. Even with that, though, the author still did, in the beginning chapters that introduced them both, dump a little bit too much information all at once instead of letting information flow more naturally in the book. These characters have incredible backstories, but I like to see characters’ histories show up more organically rather than breaking up the flow of the narrative in a big chunk or two. The heroine’s world was tipped on its ear when her affianced leaves her waiting at the altar, breaking it off via text. She takes the honeymoon anyway, hoping to get the owner–whom she had written to previously in those early letters and emails–to take her company’s offer to buy out his nearly bankrupt resort. What she experiences when she goes to this resort is nothing she could have imagined but something that has the potential to change her life if she is willing to let go of the rigid control that she has had over her life since her mother abandoned her to her grandparents when she was a child. What path will she choose? I thought both the characters were well drawn. There were some laugh-out-loud moments. And even though I wouldn’t say I liked the backstory dumped into the text, it did really inform who they were as characters. Their actions reactions made sense given their histories. All in all, it is a well-done book.
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