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.
Color of a Soul by Katherine McIntyre
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Color of a Soul*
Can She Find Her Soulmate Before It’s Too Late?
Jason is at a tourist location on Lake Ontario that was supposed to have been a special getaway spot for him and his near fiancee, but she broke up with him. Unfortunately, the place they were to stay has a no-refund policy, so he decided to take the romantic vacation by himself. Here, he meets Kelsey, and they fall into a surprisingly easy and empathy-provoking conversation. She is quite unlike any other woman he’s met, but that is an understatement! She’s not a woman but rather an undine. She has come from the Otherworld and only has a few days left on Earth before she must go back to her Realm because she has been unsuccessful in finding her soulmate. To remain on Earth, she needs to join with another soul.
Some writing in this was a little awkward, but still the author was able to convey the feelings of both of these characters convincingly. I can sense how Jason was at a true crossroads in his life, not only losing his girl but his job as well; it was fun to see him perk up and come alive in his discussions and interactions with Kelsey. For our heroine’s part, it was lovely to see her unfolding wonder as she began to realize that Jason had potential to be the one, first in his acceptance and understanding and then in his obvious growing affection. The author did an excellent job describing the scenes and the settings—I felt like I could visualize them—though I wished at the end that she had given a little more detail on the exact undine-soulmate process that had to take place. I think that could have been fascinating to read if it were like the other well-done descriptions. I loved that first scene with the pixie!
I felt like this story needs a little more conflict and tension because the middle was mostly just delightful scenes between the hero and heroine. Still, though, I did enjoy these characters and their story. I like that the author has a brief epilogue that shows how they fare.
Time of My Life by Laura Heffernan
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Time of My Life*
Love Boat Meets Dirty Dancing
In this installment of our literary Love Boat, the cruise ship Aphrodite, Janey is a dance instructor and performer on board. She and one of the male passengers, Frank, work on creating a special number for the end-of-cruise performance after her previous partner can’t do it. But is it really just dance lessons, or is there becoming to be more to their relationship? If the latter, what will that mean for Janey and her job, as the company has a strict can’t-date-the-passengers rule?
This is a light and sweet beach read that definitely has derives somewhat from the movie classic Dirty Dancing, although there is a gender switch in the roles. It’s delightful fun to watch the evolving relationship between Jamie and Frank as the dance lessons go on. The end was absolutely perfect. I would have liked to have seen an epilogue to glimpse where their relationship went beyond at the cruise ship. But I did enjoy this love story even if I felt it stopped somewhat abruptly.
Summer with the CEO by Alexa Rivers
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Free with Kindle Unlimited
Summer with the CEO*
Good Beach Read
Journalist Aria is hoping to land a big story so she can impress her boss enough to fill the vacant slot for senior reporter. She might be in luck when she finds out that a developer has bought land on her a small island and plans to make a complex including shops and a motel. Her first piece about it questions how such a place will affect their small-town life. Eli sees it as a hit piece and heads there for damage control.
This story felt like several in one. First, there’s an arc about Aria’s career, and there’s also one for the development deal. Of course, romance is here, too, and that gets further complicated by an unintended pregnancy. All of these lines have complications, actually. Arya has a troubled work history that makes her reticent interact with Eli personally even though they have chemistry; Eli doesn’t have the best social graces. The town does have legitimate concerns about what the development deal will mean. Family issues exist on the sides, both as backstory and in the current storyline.
Despite all the issues and complications, Aria and Eli are both decent people. I didn’t like how the hero and heroine spent so much time at odds through most of the book, even though they did have a solid basis for attraction and a good relationship. Sometimes it seemed like they shot themselves in the foot. I definitely at times felt that if they just simply talked to each other, they could get beyond so much of what was troubling them; it’s a little frustrating at times, and I think the author did draw some of this out too much as it did start to feel repetitious.
That said, I actually did enjoy the book. I like to Aria and Eli as a couple, and I enjoyed seeing their interactions with friends, colleagues, and family. The author writes with humor, and the dialogue feels authentic. I particularly enjoyed Aria’s relationships with her girlfriends and Eli’s sister.
All You Need Is Love by Melissa Baldwin
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Free with Kindle Unlimited
All You Need Is Love*
Heroine Learns about Herself, Love, and Forgiveness
I read the first book of this series, but I wasn’t totally wild about it. Rather, I thought that Stacy’s reaction to her divorce didn’t ring true, and it appeared to be more of a plot device than something that gave context to the story. I’m glad I read this second book of the series, however. While there were some annoying navel-gazing moments as is typical both of chick lit and first-person narrative, I found this book to be very emotionally engaging. The heroine, CJ, is a woman who has constructed walls around her heart because she has been disappointed multiple times by the ones who should love her unconditionally. While this book definitely has a romance at its core, it does explore more significant themes as most good chick lit does. Several of CJ’s relationships are fragile or broken, and in the course of this book, CJ comes to understand herself and others better, gains closure on several fronts, and develops stronger and deeper relationships with people who are important to her. Through the journey of the book, she comes to understand facets of love and forgiveness as her walls come down. If you enjoy chick lit that explores multiple personal issues and family drama while having a satisfying romance, you will most likely enjoy this book.
Between Home and Heartbreak by Jacqui Nelson
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Between Home and Heartbreak*
Fast-Paced Western Romance with Lots of Intrigue
I was not wild about the first book of the series, though I had enjoyed other books by this author. So I wanted to give the second book in the series a chance. I am glad that I did. I found this book so much more riveting than the first. The book is full of intrigue, lies, secrets, and blackmail. From the start, it is hard to know who or what to believe, but all is gradually revealed as the book goes on. The hero is hard-working, smart, and swoon-worthy (even if he isn’t the best rider or horse breaker). The heroine has quite a detailed backstory that is fully revealed over time. The initial question, whether the heroine is the girl that the hero knew back in childhood, only scratches at the surface of the deeper questions raised in this book as it moves along, which it does at a fast pace.
The author has a good command of Old West history and the western Romance subgenre. She has a way of describing items and settings that makes you feel like you can see precisely what is going on without being overly descriptive such that it overwhelms the narrative. I like how she slips in Western idioms and colloquialisms that make the text come alive.
Hearts in Georgia by Ruby Hill and Marian Wilson
Hearts in Georgia*
Collection of Heartwarming, Sweet Small-Town Romances
This is a heartwarming collection of four stories based around a small town in Georgia. The first two books have an outsider coming into the community. The first, Lysander, 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. In the second story, the new person does not integrate into the town fabric nearly so easily. Each story is relatively short, yet the author is able to ramp up the emotions in each story and create tension. Each story is distinct, which I always appreciate 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.
Aliens and Androids by J. J. Harlan
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Aliens and Androids*
A Fun Little Collection of Very Short Stories
This is a very short collection of six short stories that all have science fiction themes. The first story is super short, just a few pages that can be read in a few minutes. I will have to say that the last line of that first one did make me laugh out loud. While none of the other stories did, I did find them fun, quick reads. It would seem that aliens and Androids are much like us! Both good and bad. There were some issues with grammar, punctuation, and spelling. But overall, these stories were just fast bits of fun.
How to Analyze People by Steven Hopkins
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
How to Analyze People*
Introduction to Nonverbal Communication
In this short book about nonverbal communication, the author lays out a simple plan to improve your ability to read and understand the nonverbal clues about the thoughts, plans, and emotions that people can’t help but communicate. The author’s experience comes from his own life as a trainer and personal coach, and he also has a master’s degree in behavioral psychology. After he explains the basic concepts of nonverbal communication, he lays out chapters that go essentially from head to toe: facial expressions, voice, posture, body language of the upper body, and body language of the legs and feet. The main section of the book ends with two specialized chapters, how to spot a lie and how to spot romantic interest. There was a bonus chapter on well about nonverbal communication in the workplace.
The book is basic in what it explains about each of these topics, but it does get you thinking about others and your own nonverbal communication. If this is a topic that interests you, you might find this short read a very interesting introduction.
The Medium Place by Erin Huss
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Medium Place*
Another Paranormal Cozy in this Humorous Series
I had thoroughly enjoyed the first book of the series, so I was very pleased to see this show up at one of the book review sites that I use. I looked forward to starting it because I had hopes that the author would continue to amuse me with the delightful Zoe, her zany neighbors, and her spirits.
I was not disappointed, I am happy to report. This book is as humorous, if not more, so than the first but not in the way that feels over the top. It feels just right and very appropriate for Zoe and the crazy characters that live in her small town. What an unusual spirit to approach her! One with terrible wounds and such a mystery to figure out, made all the more difficult and conflict-inducing because the sheriff sees Zoe as a suspect.
If you enjoyed the previous book, with Zoe’s humor and interesting relationships with those living and dead, you will most likely enjoy the second book of the series as well. If you enjoy paranormal cozy mysteries, you should give this author and this series a try.
Lords for Love box set by Charlotte Fitzwilliam and Eliza Heaton
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Lords For Love*
Uneven Set of Books
This box set contains three books written by two different authors. Eliza Keaton writes the first two, and Charlotte Fitzwilliam writes the last one. Side note: That has to be a pseudonym for a fan of Jane Austen and perhaps Jane Austen fanfiction. Charlotte, of course, is a key character in Pride and Prejudice, and Fitzwilliam is, of course, the first name of Mr. Darcy and the last name of his cousin.
Both authors are new to me. The first book, The Duke’s Baby, I found to be a little unusual, but in a good way, because the hero and heroine are childhood friends, but their relationship does not come to fruition as soon as they become adults. Rather, he married another woman and had a child with her. So the romance part of the book springs from the time when the Duke is dealing with his grief, the heroine’s mother is suffering from ill health, and the heroine is trying to do her best to help them. I quite enjoyed this first book.
I was not as enamored of the second book by the same author. I felt like she spent too much time with the stories and imagination flights of the heroine, so much so that we didn’t really get to know the hero until the end. The romance was not center stage like it should be in a love story.
I enjoyed the story of the third and final book in this set except for one crucial thing. This is a story where parents try to force their children into marriage, but neither is interested outwardly. So they had to fight a growing attraction, which was fun to watch as it is clear that they are well suited to each other. Unfortunately, I was very distracted by the strange formatting in the book. In parts of it, the first few words of a new paragraph were capitalized, making it seem like the characters were always shouting the first bits of dialogue at each other. In an early section, too, the paragraph breaks weren’t done correctly, making many of them run together, which made for awkward reading. This did clear up some in the middle of the book, but then it returned. I did receive an ARC of this book, so this may have been corrected by the time it actually is published. As this is the last book in the collection, I couldn’t see if this had been fixed before publication.
So on the whole, I found this to be an uneven set of books. By the way, these are clean Regencies, if that matters to you.
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