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.
Darcy’s Angel by Jennifer Kay
Darcy's Angel**
Complex Young Mr. Darcy … and a Silly Elizabeth
This is a very different take on Pride & Prejudice fan fiction. It takes place almost entirely in London, five years earlier than in canon. Due to illness at Longbourn, 15-year-old Elizabeth and 13-year-old Kitty are shipped off to an old friend of their father’s in London. Darcy and Georgiana have just recently arrived in London, too, unable to face Pemberley after their father’s death. The main text takes place over the course of a year and a half. The Bennet girls become friends with Georgiana and so enter Darcy’s sphere.
Because the book takes place over such a long period of time, with sometimes months where we don’t see what is happening, it sometimes felt like there were dropped threads that took a while to pick up again. For instance, Major Fitzwilliam is planning to meet with Elizabeth to determine if Elizabeth is OK for Darcy and Georgiana to chum around with. At the end of a Darcy scene, it looks like he is just about to do it. Yet, the next scene isn’t that; he actually doesn’t meet her until much later…and we didn’t get to see any intensive interview (which could have been great fun).
Eavesdropping was used too often as an important plot point.
I really liked this younger Darcy. His vulnerability at the passing of his father and his delicate handling of Georgiana were sweet and poignant. He had odd little quirks, like drumming his fingers on anything when nervous, that made him more endearing. As a reader, I felt like I got under Darcy’s skin and could see his world from his perspective. A great characterization of Darcy.
I was not so enamored of Elizabeth. Early on especially, she seemed to have silly moments to rival Lydia’s! I have seen other JAFF with a young Elizabeth where she had a wisdom and grace beyond her years. Not so here! I actually found her continuous childishness annoying. I secretly hoped at times that the complex young Mr. Darcy would find someone more worthy of him! She did improve after her Wickham moment, where she became more like the Elizabeth we all know and love. For the last 10% of the book, I found her a sympathetic character…but not really before.
I quite enjoyed the epilogue, which had a couple of interesting surprises.
Blind Justice by Nathan Burrows
Blind Justice
Justice Not Just Blind…But Deaf & Unfeeling
The story starts with a bang, as the protagonist, Gareth, enters his new home for the next 15 years…a prison cell. In a flashback, the novel first outlines how he went from petty thief to convicted murderer, which starts as a tale of a man reforming his life of small-time crime after he meets the woman who will change everything. The author does a good job keeping us guessing throughout. We know there is going to be a murder…but who’s the victim? Is Gareth really innocent? While telling of the past, the author leaves crumbs of vague clues pointing toward the inevitable without giving it away, just enough to tantalize to keep the reader turning pages.
As the story progresses, one murder sparks another. While the perpetrator of the first one gets off nearly scot-free, the accused of the other (Gareth) is convicted. We know that justice was indeed blind in the former, and the bulk of the book details how it is true in the latter as well. Most of the book is what I would call courtroom drama with first preparation for and minute-by-minute coverage of Gareth’s retrial. The defense is brilliant and fantastic to watch unfold (especially as I am a long-time fan of Law & Order and other legal-type shows).
The author is great about giving details that pull you into this world. I loved the growing relationship between Gareth and his girl before everything goes wrong, which made the rest of the story so much more poignant. Gareth and Jennifer’s romance is slow and sweet, as he aspires to a girl whom he first saw as being way out of his league. He finally has it all when his world is ripped apart. Unusual for a thriller, I found this story to be emotionally gripping, too, on several levels.
There is a major twist at the very end when the real killer revealed. But it was a perfect and fitting end. Justice was blind, thank goodness, one last time.
If you like legal thrillers, this is well paced with twists and turns and people you’ve grown to care about, give this book a try.
Hope of Ages Past by Bruce Gardner
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Hope of Ages Past*
Life on the Banks of a Turbulent River
I remember seeing a quote some time ago about the course of history being like a river, but that life was lived on the banks.
This book does a fantastic job of showing “life on the banks” of the turbulent river that was the 30 Years’ War. This is not something I’m familiar with from my extensive reading of historical fiction. So, it was fun to read something new, but at times I felt a little lost about all of the bigger picture that was going on. But the author was successful in helping me get an emotional feel of what it might have been like in a society that is so very different than my own.
While I found the first chapter hard to get into, once the story fast-forwarded 11 years, I was hooked. I think I found the first chapter hard to get through was because it felt like a recitation of a historical event rather than a story. But after that, as soon as Peter’s story truly started, I was drawn in to the various characters very human struggles. I loved that faith, compassion, and the goodness of people persevered against incredible odds and difficulties. Some of the descriptions of events like the war scenes had me wanting to forget that I had other commitments so I could keep reading!
If you’re looking for something a little different in your historical fiction–with compelling, complex characters and a keeps-you-reading plot–you may very well find this book worth your time.
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