Reading Fanatic Reviews
All Literary Fiction Review (including Chick Lit)The Passing Tribute by Simon Marshall
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
The Passing Tribute*
Fascinating Look at Post-WWI Europe
This is a tale of two brothers in the aftermath of World War I. One brother is in Vienna, which is struggling after the end of the Great War. The author’s vivid depiction definitely demonstrates how Hitler could have been formed in such a crucible as post-war Austria plagued by starvation, inflation, and other trials. The other brother is in London, and his task to help bring about the better Europe envisioned by his higher-ups bring him and his brother together in a way that neither could have foreseen.
The author has chosen an interesting time in Europe’s history to illuminate and show through the twin lenses of these brothers. This is not an easy read, for both the sometimes dense descriptions and what the story itself is actually about. Still, I found it a fascinating glimpse into the time between the two great wars of the last century.
The Colonel and Her Sergeant by Shana Figueroa
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Colonel and Her Sergeant*
Such a Downer!
This is a well-written story, but oh, my gosh, it is such a downer! The author clearly understands the military from the inside, as the military is truly front and center in this book. The book’s title, and even the blurb somewhat, mislead you into thinking that this is a romance, but it is not. There are some romantic aspects to it, as one might guess, but these are consumed by the military aspects. I think the themes could have been touched on in a way that was uplifting rather than being so dark and depressing. I had just finished reading a book that addresses difficult themes but in a way that gave hope. This book didn’t do that. I found it to be a difficult read.
Eleventh Night by Steven Penny
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Eleventh Night*
Short, Sad Tale of Love During Troubled Times
In this short story, an older man relates the story of his lost love. Their tragic story took place in Northern Ireland in the late 1970s at the height of the Troubles, and the two lovers were from the opposing sides.
The author did a good job of writing this tale as if it were actually told by a slightly drunk older gentleman to a young man in a pub. It has a feeling of conversation that rings true (even if it is one sided). I don’t think that is easy to attain, but this author makes it work. Unfortunately, there seem to be many issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, so much that it actually did distract as I was reading. Commas were particularly problematic, and I thought there should have been more paragraph breaks in certain areas.
I actually think that the story of the original lovers would make a fantastic novella or novel from what is hinted at in the older gentleman’s story. Short or long, I think stories like this are good to remind the people of the perils of history so it is not repeated.
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
The Library of Lost and Found*
Unlikely Protagonist Becomes Hero of Her Own Story
I am always drawn to a book about books! The cherry on top of that for this book is that the middle-aged main character works at her local library as well. The author does a brilliant job at the beginning of the book showing, not telling, of Martha’s fussy and pedantic yet selflessly giving nature. Martha lives on her own but fills her time doing thankless tasks for family and neighbors, like fixing her nephew’s trousers and repairing a paper mache dragon. Her insular world is broken apart when she receives a book left at the library’s door that was inscribed by her beloved grandmother who died when Martha was young. This opens up a whole new world for Martha as she tries to puzzle out the mystery of how her grandmother could have inscribed a note to her in the book months after the elder lady supposedly died.
This is the first time that I have read this author, and I was delighted by her in-depth characterization in this book. Martha at the beginning could very well have been a pitiable martyr, but the author managed to make her real in such a way that didn’t allow for such a simple take. The book does meander a bit, but I have found that to be quite often the case for certain British writers that I’ve read (and enjoyed, like the delightful cozy mystery writer V. S. Vale). While some may find this annoying, this author pursues this path deftly, in part because of the very excellent characterization of not only Martha but the secondary characters she meets along her path but also because of the depth of the backstory and its secrets that are slowly revealed. I quite enjoyed Martha’s transformation over the course of this book. A wonderful read.
Shadow’s Way by Barbara Frances
Available at Amazon only
NOT with Kindle Unlimited
Shadow's Way*
I Did Not Like This Book
I did not like this book, and in fact, thought I might not finish it. In truth, I was put off by what I read in the first couple of chapters. Both the archbishop and Elaine are so condescending toward the other people that they interact with that I found it completely off-putting. A cleric thinking of a penitent as cow faced? A woman who talked condescendingly to the guests at her bed-and-breakfast while thinking them uncouth? These characters just rankled my every nerve. The language of the novel, in general, seemed to be puffed up with an exaggerated sense of self-importance that created a wall between me and the story. Oh, and I think the book needed a sensitivity reader.
Today Dauphine, Tomorrow Nothing by Sage Hillbom
Available at Amazon only
Not with Kindle Unlimited
NOTE: This may all change after the book has been published for a few days.
Today Dauphine, Tomorrow Nothing*
Unusual Look at the Court of the Sun King
This book takes place at the court of the Sun King of France at the turn of the 18th century (the late 1690s to early 1700s). We see it through the eyes of Adelaide, who is to be the king’s granddaughter-in-law. The book spans some 20 years. Life at court is a far more complicated than the Dauphine (as she was known) could have imagined. Her marriage isn’t what she thought it would be, and there are those who have ill intent for her. She does find a loving relationship that is forbidden in more ways than one.
While I found this look at France’s court to be a fascinating one, I felt that the author did too much telling rather than showing. Since so much time elapses during the novel, the author felt the need to summarize much of what happens. She might have been better off having a few scenes that showed what happened with smaller snippets of description of the elapsed time. The scenes that are written are well done, showing what Adelaide and Colette go through during their lives. Thankfully, the author does give a directory in the front of the book to the real historical characters that this book references. Adelaide was, in fact, the Dauphine; this is a fictionalized account of her story.
All You Need Is Love by Melissa Baldwin
Available at Amazon only
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.
The Damascus Road by Jay Parini
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
The Damascus Road*
Fictionalized Life of St. Paul and Times of the Early Christian Church
While this book is fiction, it reads true to both history and human nature. The book looks not only at the life of St. Paul but gives insight into the early days of Christianity. Since Christianity is so well entrenched in modern Western society, it is easy to forget that it was at first a movement within Judaism that had very rocky beginnings before it became established. This book looks at what perhaps some of those founders believed, wrestled with, and did. This book does not shy away from showing the growing pains of Christianity.
The book alternates between being told from Paul’s and Luke’s perspectives. The author did a good job making these two narrative voices distinct, and they even didn’t always agree about the same incident. I like how the book started right off with a scene that not only shows the devastation of the fire in Rome but shows how it is used as a political weapon against the Christians. This is the perfect beginning for this book as this is a recurring theme. The book wanders all over this part of the ancient world, and we meet other characters with whom we are familiar with from the Bible.
Whether you are a Christian or not, if you are interested in history, you might enjoy this fictionalized account about St. Paul’s life and the times of the early Christian church.
The Six Gifts: Secrets by Christie Kelly
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
The Six Gifts: Secrets*
One Woman’s Journey of Self-Discovery
We first meet three-year-old Olivia when she is being pulled from a pool after nearly drowning. She experiences white light and peace. The story flash-forwards to when Olivia’s in her 50s. Her marriage of 30 years is flat (and even slightly aggressive, with some swearing), and she is experiencing ill health due to chemical poisoning. When she finds out that her high school boyfriend has been killed in a car accident, she decides to drive back home for his funeral. While there, she experiences vivid dreams, reconnects with people in her past, and through a variety of means, gains more clarity of life.
The book weaves between the past and the present. Unfortunately, in the present sections, there are a lot of info dumps, first about her marriage and then about other parts of her past. I found these sections tedious to read. I appreciate that characters often have a huge back story, but I think such as better delivered in small drips and drops as the reader needs to know. The author does do a good job of setting place in Vermont and Colorado.
Negatives aside, I found this an interesting read depicting one woman’s journey to understand herself, both her past and where she wants to move to in the future.
My Romantic Comedy by Mary Kelly Reed
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
My Romantic Comedy (Complete)*
Erin’s Complete Tale of Finding Love via Romantic Comedies
To me, this is an odd trilogy of books. The overarching premise is that Erin is a hopeless romantic who wants her love life to be like a romantic comedy movie. She has specific movies in mind even. She tries to set up circumstances that will allow these fictional stories to play out in her real life.
The book has an interesting set of supporting characters including Erin’s sister, Julia, and her best friend, Carrie. While the book is predominantly written in the first-person from Erin’s perspective, at the end of each chapter both Julia and Carrie each have a few paragraphs to say about what’s going on in Erin’s as well as their own lives.
Erin is not an easy heroine to like. In fact, I didn’t like her. She is overly critical, hypocritical, unkind, unforgiving, and untrusting even when she should be. I found her sister and friend to be more sympathetic and interesting. In fact, I think that the book would have been better if the point of view truly alternated between Erin, her sister, and her friend rather than just have the brief paragraphs at the end of a chapter narrated by Erin from the other women’s perspectives. Or the author could have gone the other way and given those two other women their own books separate from Erin’s story.
Despite the fact that I found Julia and Carrie to be excellent secondary characters in their own right, I actually didn’t like their commentaries at the end of Erin’s chapters. Yes, those bits did show a different perspective on Erin’s actions as well as give a little about what was happening with the other women. I’m a fan of an author showing not telling, and those commentaries are classic examples of telling. The fact that on occasion in Erin’s sections she would speak directly to the reader annoyed me. I don’t like it in either books or movies when a character breaks the fourth wall, as it shatters the illusion that we are voyeurs of this story, unknown to the characters within it as we watch their lives play out.
I found myself feeling sorry for Matt. Erin is such a basket case that I found myself wishing he would find better.
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