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.
Not from the Stars by Christina Britton Conroy
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Free with Kindle Unlimited
Not From the Stars*
An Immersive Read into Two Worlds, Edwardian England and the Theatre
I read a lot of historical fiction, but I haven’t read a lot from the Edwardian era. So I enjoyed that this author was not only able to make the Edwardian world feel real but was also able to bring theater to life in an unexpected way. I loved all the references to Shakespeare! This book involves quite a cast of characters, and at times, it is a little tricky to follow the movement of the greater story. There are some surprisingly sexual and violent scenes. If you’re used to reading historical romances, not historical fiction, parts of this book will seem shocking to you. But all in all, it was an immersive read that I found fascinating.
A Dangerous Temptation by Jillian Eaton
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Free with Kindle Unlimited
A Dangerous Temptation*
An Unlikely but Believable Couple
I have read several of Jillian Eaton’s books now, and I have enjoyed them. This book is no exception. The author is very good at manipulating both the reader’s emotional heartstrings and the characters’ thoughts and actions. The prologue, showing the hero coming upon his newly murdered wife five years before the bulk of the story, immediately makes the reader have great empathy and sympathy for the hero. She immediately switches it up with the scene of this book’s hero and heroine’s meet-cute told from the perspective of the heroine. The switch is jarring because of the sharp differences not only in the circumstances of the scenes but the voices of the characters. The heroine comes across as smart but a little naïve and as someone who has a good sense of humor and sense of self. The hero and heroine have a near instant and actually believable chemistry that is off the charts and only continues to grow as the book progresses. Because of the loss of his wife, the hero is a wounded soul seeking to avenge his wife’s death. The heroine isn’t quite willing to give him up despite the darkness she can sense within him or the difference between their social standings.
I enjoyed this book very much, both the romantic aspects between this unlikely couple and the suspense plot of finding and bringing the hero’s former wife’s murderer to justice. A solid historical romantic suspense!
Italian Summer Series by Lily Zante
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Free with Kindle Unlimited
Italian Summer Series*
Superficial
This set of books didn’t quite do it for me. While I like a good contemporary romance, these stories and characters are superficial and actually made me feel uncomfortable reading them. I hate a heroine who thinks she’s all that and a bag of chips and even put down their own girlfriends who are good people (even if not exactly like them or living the life that they would lead). Still, if you’re looking for a meaningless little set of romances to while away your time on vacation, this might be your cup of tea.
The 6-Figure Ghostwriter by Matthew Thrush
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Free with Kindle Unlimited
The 6-Figure Ghostwriter*
One Long Advertisement
When I saw this book pop up at my favorite book reviews site, the blurb sounded too good to be true, but it caught my attention because I have toyed around with the idea of ghostwriting for some time. I have done a variety of writing both on the job and for the companies I have worked for, and I do enjoy writing. I was hoping this book might be the answer to my questions about how to exactly break into this business. Unfortunately, the book is more of an extended advertisement for the writer’s mentorship and course business that purports to teach you all that you need to know to become a six-figure ghostwriter. The first part of the book is his description of the early days of his ghostwriting business, which doesn’t actually sound too good as he had to put out an obscene amount of words to make his financial goals. Following this most extended description of his early ghostwriting career is a section of testimonials from people who have taken part in his courses or mentoring. The chapters following give a little bit of information, but even this is mixed with healthy doses of more of the author’s backstory and philosophy. There is little that is actionable here, aside from signing up with Upwork for ghostwriting jobs and signing up for the author’s courses. Really, this is just one gigantic advertisement for his “ghostwriting business” business, where he will supposedly help you on your path to your ghostwriting career. I know that lead magnets are often published on Amazon and other outlets, but usually they actually have something to offer the reader beyond the advertisement. Unfortunately, this book does not.
By the way, out of curiosity, I followed some of the links to his courses. The one he gives you a coupon (so you can get it for free) at the end of the book is a dead, 404 link. One of the links to one of his more expensive programs is live, but even the link about his other courses goes to a 404 page. Buyer certainly beware.
Date with a Werewolf by Lisa Daniels
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Date with a Werewolf*
Not My Favorite by this Author
I have enjoyed other books by Lisa Daniels, including the first one in this series as well as her Six Isles series. 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.
The Duke and the Damsel by Cinnamon Worth and Kay Springsteen
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The Duke and the Damsel*
Not Able to Get Past Not Liking Hero
In a departure from most Regency books about a compromise, both the hero and heroine at the heart of the story are determined not to be thrust into an unwelcome marriage. The heroine had decided that being a spinster was her best course of action after she lost an early love. If she is to marry, she wishes to do so only for love, but that is becoming more and more unlikely the older she gets. When they are discovered in a compromising state, the hero believes that he can buy the silence of the observers, but the heroine’s uncle has other ideas. To help the young woman, the hero decides to choose potential suitors from amongst his friends that might make an ideal husband for her.
I felt like this story had several plot holes. We’re told a little about the heroine’s first love, but we don’t really know the full story of their romance and what their relationship was truly like that would make her decide it was best to remain a spinster. There’s also a bad guy in the story, of course, but that just kind of fizzled out without any resolution. I found the language of the book to be somewhat stilted. I imagine the author is trying to mimic what she believes are Regency speech and language patterns, but it just doesn’t work and is more distracting than engaging. When the hero and heroine first meet, he comes across as a real jerk, and since the story is of novella length, I didn’t learn enough about his character or see enough of a growth arc to get past my initial bad feelings about him. For me, for a romance to work, I have to like the hero—finding him swoon-worthy is even better—and I have to believe that he is the best choice for the heroine. Unfortunately, that did not happen here.
Palatino for the Painter by Jessa Archer
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Palatino for the Painter*
Mystery of Friend’s Past is Solved
In this second installment of the series, a ghost from Wren and Ruth’s past comes back to haunt them. Their dearest friend from high school in the 1980s disappeared back then. The girl’s parents just said she went to Nashville to seek fame and fortune as a singer, but the best friends knew that something wasn’t right, but no one would listen to the teenage girls. Flash forward to today, and the friend’s car is pulled out of the local lake on the same day that their deceased high school English teacher has left behind a set of eerie paintings of the lake for Ruth. What happened to their friend?
Count Your Hexes by Wendy Meadows
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Free with Kindle Unlimited
Count Your Hexes*
Great Start to a New Series
What a delightful start to a new cozy mystery series! And it does feel like a beginning in several ways. There is definitely a hint of future romance, and the protagonist, Mimi, is coming to understand that she has a magical bent. Not everything is fully resolved in this book, though the central mystery is (of course), which makes me anticipate book two!
I have read several of Wendy Meadows books, and I find that she has a way of writing in deep third-person point of view that draws you right into the story and the protagonist’s world. Even though this is a murder mystery, she is able to inject humor on occasion, and the relationship between Mimi and her dog, Baxter, is absolutely adorable (and I’m not even really a pet person). The author seems to have a good sense of timing; I love that she put the murder right up front (around the 6% mark), as I’ve read a couple of mysteries lately that make us wait to find the dead body. An interesting cast of characters populates this book, and much seems to be going on in this small town Maine town, both below the surface and what can be seen. I quite enjoyed watching this story unfold, and I look forward to the next book in the series.
See You Soon Broadway by Melissa Baldwin
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
See You Soon Broadway*
A Good Life or a Dream?
In an unusual move for books of this nature, protagonist Maris actually has a very good life at the start of the book. She has loving parents, a good friend who is also her roommate, and a very attentive and loving boyfriend, Kyle. Maris has more than many people, but she has dreams bigger than the life that she is currently leading. She is a vocal teacher who has dreams of being on Broadway. She is at a crossroads in more ways than one and doesn’t know whether she should pursue her dream in New York or stay where she is. She finds inspiration in her grandmother’s journals from the 1940s.
At times, it felt like the author was trying too hard to affect a younger woman’s way of thinking and speech. Some of it came off as unrealistic. There were times when I absolutely felt sorry for Kyle because I felt like she only cared about herself and not really about him. I know this is chick lit, so that’s supposed to be okay. But I don’t like it when a protagonist, even in chick lit, cares only about themselves.
Just a Simple Little Holiday by Bea Kendall
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Just a Simple Little Holiday*
Short Book Packs Quite a Wallop
Holy guacamole! This is a super short and quick read, but oh, my gosh! The author has packed more into these few little pages than many pack into novels. This is a girls’ holiday/vacation that goes completely sideways. We think we know the characters as we start off, but as more and more gets revealed about the individuals, all bets are off. The book took some surprising twists and turns that one doesn’t expect in such a short book. Exceptionally well-done book, and I look forward to the official first book of this series; this is a prequel.
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