Reading Fanatic Reviews
Contemporary RomanceBlindsided by Laurie Baxter
Available at Amazon only
NOT with Kindle Unlimited
Blindsided*
Funny Short Story
This is a short story that can be read in probably a half an hour or less. It is actually very funny, and the author actually writes comedy well. She has a good sense of how to portray those little absurd moments in life. The heroine’s sister and brother-in-law set her up on a blind date for Valentine’s Day, nonetheless. Except for the very beginning and the very end, most of it reads like a movie; that is, it is mostly dialogue with a bit of thought and action thrown in. So it is not a story that’s heavy into deep introspection, characterization, or big-move action. That said, I did enjoy this very humorous quick read.
Freeing Fortune by Ashley J. Barner and Jennifer Sanders
Available at Amazon only
NOT with Kindle Unlimited
Freeing Fortune*
A Fictional (?) Regency Character Comes to the Modern World
Imagine that your favorite book boyfriend was brought from his fictional world into your own when you accidentally speak some words from a secret magical spell! That’s the way this book starts when a Darcy-esque Ben Fortune is brought forth from Regency times by the heroine to modern times. In Parts, this book reminds me of the delightful TV series called Lost in Austen, where the heroine of that story went back to Regency England, switching places with Elizabeth Bennet. But in this book, Ben is in our time. It’s fun to see our world through his eyes. He is a complex man with ideals that are similar to our own in many cases; he’s a great hero, both then and now. This book extends the idea of Lost in Austen in a really interesting way. Essentially, Ben coming to our time from his place in a novel actually creates strange changes first in the novel and then in actual history. Move one man from his “fake” time centuries ago, and much can change: the butterfly effect. I really enjoyed all the references to Pride and Prejudice and other historical romances, both their novels and their movies. The author got one tiny detail wrong. Heathcliff wasn’t a Regency hero; the Bronte sisters were Victorian writers (writing a good 20+ years after the Regency era), and Wuthering Heights is considered to be Gothic. It certainly isn’t Regency. Aside from that, I found this book to be an absolute delight.
A Cinderella Seduction by Karen Booth
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Thala, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
A Cinderella Seduction*
Complex Family Issues Hamper Romance
I used to read Harlequin romance when I was much younger, back in the previous millennium. I hadn’t read one in a long time. I was delightfully surprised at the emotional depth of this story. It is about a lot of things, not just the romance. It is about family in the broadest sense, what family means to us and what we owe our families simply by being a part of them. What happens when our needs conflict with the needs of our family? The hero and heroine in this story are good people placed in a bad situation. The heroine is trying to come to grips with her new position in her long-lost family, and the hero has long-standing issues with his mother that have been exacerbated since his older brother’s death. Since their families have had a rivalry for generations, a relationship between them may not be acceptable to their families. So, will they risk what they have now for the future happiness they could possibly have? I might have made these issues seem straightforward, but they are actually quite complex in the book. The author did an excellent job of juggling the warring emotions and the tribalism that both the main characters have to face.
The Other Blue Sky by Shari J. Ryan
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Other Blue Sky*
An Enthusiastic 5+ Star Read
Having recently read Last Words, I was very interested in Annie’s story. I’ll admit that I started the book in an already emotional state because I just knew that her story, as told by this author, was going to blow me away. I was not wrong. The author has managed to craft yet another tale that is heartbreakingly beautiful and poignant, that will resonate with you for long after you’ve finished it. The story weaves between the modern-day where Annie is talking with her mother and Charlie, filling in the gaps of what she knows of her history, and the past starting when Annie realized that she wasn’t her parents’ biological child and going through the years as she developed as a young woman, wife, and mother. This book touches on so many themes I hardly know where to start. It is about identity, family, your place in the world, grief, forgiveness, love of several sorts, and grace. And I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. I don’t know how this author can create such heartfelt and beautiful words that perfectly express such a wide range of human emotions and experience. This book, like Last Words, is simply stunning. As it does deal with the aftermath of the Holocaust, parts of it are not an easy read, but the author doesn’t dwell on this. Rather, this book—like the other one—is about the triumph of the human spirit. That sounds a little high falutin’ and cerebral, but the author makes it real with believable characters that we can immediately identify with and root for as they face the challenges in the book. I can recommend this fantastic book wholeheartedly.
Stay with Me by Katherine L. Evans
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Stay with Me*
Simply a Great Read
I don’t think I’ve had so much fun reading a contemporary romance in a long time as I did with this book! The first scene, which mocks the romance genre, was a delight in and of itself. The book just starts out so funny, and for once, the author actually knows how to write humor. Too many authors attempt it who aren’t really able to pull it off, which just makes the reading awkward. But that did not happen here. The first chapters going back and forth between Nick and Samantha just showed so much of their personalities, and their interaction was so humorous and delicious to watch. Nick definitely had issues with women, and Samantha was not going to let him play his usual game (even if she didn’t know his full story). But it all changes in the middle of the book in a surprising way, challenging both of them in different ways. This book is exceedingly well done and such an easy and delightful read. If you enjoy contemporary romance that’s just a little bit different, I don’t think you can go wrong with this book.
Love Spells by Emma Kaye
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, iBooks, Kobo, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Love Spells*
Two Interrelated Time-Travel Tales
These are two interrelated novelettes that feature time travel that goes both ways between modern times and Regency England. The first one is a little longer and more developed; a 21st century writer has a spell cast on her that takes her back in time… or is she just sleeping on her beach vacation? The Regency world seems a little enchanting at first, but there is more to the world than she imagines. But was any of it what she thought it was? With two related stories, I don’t want to give away too much! I thought in the second novel was too short. It felt like it had barely started, and then it was done. There is an excerpt from another story at the end.
Drawn to Her by Jenna Harte
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Drawn to Her*
Nurse Falls for Her Patient’s Grandson
I chose this story at my favorite book review site because it has a nurse as the heroine, Lexie. I am an RN myself, so I can’t help but want to read books that have a nurse as the protagonist! Lexie, though, is a private duty nurse. The relationship between her and the hero, Drake, was fractious from the beginning to nearly the end. They certainly didn’t like each other when they first met; neither was impressed by the other and formed bad impressions. But the author peeled back the layers of both of these complex characters, making their growing relationship seem organic as we got to know them better. I absolutely adored Oliver, the dying grandfather. I believe there is a saying that at the end of your life your regrets have to do with your personal choices about family and relationships and not about your job or career. Oliver is the living embodiment of that concept, and his realization is something that he wants to leave as a legacy for his grandsons who are battling over his business.
I do actually like the story from a romance standpoint, but from a nurse perspective, it is not realistic. It would be against our code of ethics to date a family member of our patient! So that aspect of the story didn’t sit right with me. I had to consciously put that idea aside, imagine that I wasn’t the nurse, and just try to enjoy the characters and romance for what it was. It did have some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, but not enough to detract from the enjoyment of the story. I love how the author injected southern charm into the story. While I have not visited the south, I enjoyed the quaint phrases and habits and southern-style dialogue. All in all, I found this to be an enjoyable read.
The N Word by Michelle MacQueen & Ann Maree Craven
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The N Word*
Wonderful Installment of Thought-Provoking Series
This is my second book to read in this series, and I am pleased to say that I am as delighted with it as I was with the first one. I absolutely adored Nari in the first book. I believe I even mentioned her in my review of that book, calling her the “truth teller” in that installment. I see that it is ironic now, as Nari’s book shows that she is full of secrets.
Nari leads a double life as a country rock keyboardist with some school bandmates. It is only when she is performing that she truly feels alive, but nobody outside of her band or a few close friends know about this… not her parents or other kids at school. Her other secret is that while the kids at school call her a nerd because she is Asian and wears nerdy glasses, she actually struggles to learn and is doing poorly in her classes. As a first-generation American, she feels pressure from her parents, especially her mother, to live their version of the American dream, whether or not it is Nari’s. The other half of the romantic relationship in the story is Avery, the football star. After making a bad play that kept his team from advancing to the playoffs, he broke up with his long-term girlfriend after he determined that it was no longer working for him because the relationship was so one-sided (all about her); he came to the conclusion that same night that continuing with football may not be what he truly wants to do, either.
Both Nari and Avery are dealing with issues at home as well as problems at school. They decide to help each other out, in a trope that is familiar to romance readers. It is well done here, though. I never mind when a trope is well done!
I’ve got to say that I absolutely adore this series. The authors are able to explore complex and challenging issues in this series in a way that resonates with me, bringing me to tears at times or making me laugh. Themes at the forefront of this novel include the pressures of expectations, the multifaceted nature of friendship, bullying, and being your true self. It certainly looks at a variety of stereotypes, showing that perceptions are not always reality. All of this is handled beautifully, with easy-to-read prose that shows us exactly how these characters think and feel and how this informs how they act. This well-rendered story is an example of why I still continue to read young adult novels even though I am way past that age!
Moonshine and Magnolias by Abigail Sharpe
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Moonshine and Magnolias*
Good Southern Vibe, But Overlong and a Little Crazy
This is a surprisingly long read for a contemporary romance, and I think the story actually would have been better served by having some of the extraneous and absurd subplots trimmed or removed completely. This is a potentially good book that is in serious need of a developmental reader (or a stern beta reader team!). There was just too much going on, and some of it strained credulity. It is hard to believe that Rob, who is a serious historian, would give much credit to the idea of a family curse and work so hard to get it lifted. Romances, of course, have to have the “boy loses girl” moment, but elements of that felt contrived. I enjoyed the couple at the heart of the romance, Wendy and Rob, but felt that they were overshadowed by all the crazy going on. Still, the author did a good job of setting time and place. The whole book definitely has a very southern vibe about it, which not all books that take place in the American South do!
A Very Merry Ex-Mas by Kimolisa Mings
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
A Very Merry Ex-Mas by Kimolisa Mings*
Holiday Tale Left Me a Little Cold
In this story about Travis and Aijah, the college sweethearts are brought together in an unlikely circumstance near Christmas. Aijah’s boyfriend recently broke up with her, and she is spending the holidays separate from her family because she doesn’t feel like facing them after another failed relationship. Travis has come to the cabin in the woods to ruminate on his decision about whether to move forward in his relationship with his longtime girlfriend or break it off. Their past relationship was undone by heartbreaking misunderstandings and a lack of communication. When the truth comes to light, will they rekindle their old relationship?
I found this book a little confusing because of the weird names that the author uses for some of the characters and because the author had so many characters both from the hero’s and heroine’s past and present. I felt like I had to use a scorecard to keep track of everybody and what role they functioned in the story. I felt like this novel could have used some tightening to make it a little better as parts seemed repetitious. Having just read a lovely little holiday romance, I found this one left me a little cold.
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