Reading Fanatic Reviews
Contemporary RomanceDark Genius by H. Peter Alesso
Available at Amazon only
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Dark Genius*
Cool Nerdy Characters… and Science!
I found the characters of this story to be quite engaging, especially the hero and the heroine. I liked the interaction between them and their group of friends. While some reviewers thought the science was a bit much, I’m enough of a science nerd and science fiction aficionado to appreciate the digressions into the scientific aspects of this story. If you find them too burdensome, you can mostly just gloss over them. They do add to the story, but they are not integral to it. I felt like the language was overloaded with adjectives and adverbs that didn’t actually add anything to the story; they more told rather than showed. Calling something alluring, when it’s not a character saying it, doesn’t really speak much to me; show me why it is alluring and why that matters!
Also, I think this book has a bit of an image problem. The cover on Amazon looks like a light and breezy summer romance story; I would call this a science-based technothriller with a tiny romantic element. The headline of the blurb is nothing that really happens in the story, or at least to any appreciable degree. It feels like the author is trying to recast the story into a YA romance… most likely because these are popular. I actually prefer the old cover that you can still see on Goodreads; it more accurately reflects what the story is actually about.
Something So Sweet by Meika Usher
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Something So Sweet*
Coming Home is Complicated
Coming back to her hometown for a visit after a not-so-successful foray in the big city, the heroine finds some things have remained the same while others have changed. Her old flame, the one she left when she chose to go away, is still of interest, but his younger cousin is even more so. The author was able to convey lightness and humor throughout the story in a convincing way. I think humor is hard to pull off in stories, but this author was able to make the tone feel light and playful most of the time. She did pull away from this when needed, like when showing the heroine’s disillusionment with her job. Sometimes, it felt like there were too many song references. I think that’s a danger when used in books as all readers may not be familiar with all the songs (so may perhaps miss the context they are meant to impart). But all in all, this is a fun contemporary romance.
Holiday Fling by Tracy Broemmer
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Holiday Fling*
Deeper than Hallmark Holiday Romance
The cover of this book might make you think that this is a Hallmark-style holiday romance. While this book does have some elements of those sweet and relatively fluffy romances, the substance of this book goes much deeper. At the start of the book, the heroine is struggling on several levels, physically and mentally. The author has done an excellent job showing how a woman who had been through what the heroine had would feel and how that would affect her thinking about herself and the world around her. Given what has happened, I can understand the heroine’s desire to pull away from what she’s known and retreat for the holidays. I found it interesting, too, that the author chose to stick to just the perspective of the heroine. Most of the romances I read alternate viewpoint between the hero and heroine. What this limitation does here is really force us to see the world through the heroine’s eyes. We don’t know the hero’s motivations any more than she does. Like her, we can only surmise. I did find myself wondering why he did what he sometimes did. The chemistry between the two characters was off the charts. The story had all the elements that I like in a romance: a relatable heroine, a wonderful hero, good interactions between them, and a little something more than just the romance at stake. If you enjoy heartfelt contemporary holiday romance, you might enjoy this book.
Lover’s Gift by Adom Sample
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Lover's Gift*
Stunning Deep Perspective Read
This is a fantastic book. I don’t think I’ve read perspective this deep ever. The book alternates between the viewpoints of Isabella, Dante, and Nathan. Isabella and Nathan are in a rather horrid marriage at the start, and Dante is a man who has become obsessed with Isabella and believes that he loves her from afar. I’m not going to go into too much detail because this book needs to be experienced first hand, as it is so emotionally raw. I thought the cover was a little misleading because, for whatever reason, I thought this was a historical book, but it is a contemporary romance. There is a bit more profanity than I am comfortable with, but it actually made contextual sense within the story. It wasn’t gratuitous. This book is definitely dark at times, as books about controlling relationships can be. If you don’t mind a little darkness and little profanity, this book is a stunning experience.
Second Chances, Fake Fiances, and Weddings
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Second Chances, Fake Fiances, and Weddings*
Clean but Uninspired Romance Box Set
This collection contains six novellas, two each from three of the author’s series: Second Chances for Love, The Gazette’s Fake Fiance’s, and Marrying Nashville.
For the two from Second Chances for Love, I felt the stories lacked a certain emotional honesty that we expect in romance. These are second chances at romance, so the reasons for the couples to part need to be solid. In these two novellas, the backstories of the romances didn’t seem realistic, putting both stories on shaky ground. In the first, Mark decided that he was more interested in pursuing his own wants and needs, and instead of just moving on, he insults the heroine’s art, which ends up having a ripple effect in her life, first causing her to doubt her abilities and then to stop believing in herself in a broader sense. When they meet again and have to work together some years later, he is contrite, but much has changed about her. In the second story, it might be a stretch even to call it a second chance at romance because they never really had a romance. The couple shared a kiss in the past after which the hero became distant because he was unsure if he wanted their relationship to move forward. Second chance? This one never had a first.
I did enjoy the two from the Gazette series more, but I think I might have because I found the concept of having a newspaper as a backdrop for the stories to be interesting. I enjoyed Samantha’s story more than Opal’s. I thought Opal was a bit too shallow; she didn’t seem to give her decisions and actions much thought. The two novellas from the marrying Nashville the series weren’t quite my cup of tea because I’m not a particular fan of billionaire or Cowboy romance.
The books had some of the common issues with punctuation, grammar, and usage. All in all, these are six relatively quick reads that are clean, but that is the most I can say to recommend them. If you are wanting to see if any of the series interest you, this sample pack could help you figure it out.
The Stolen Papyrus by Cate M. Turner
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Stolen Papyrus*
Some Flaws Mar Total Enjoyment
I was very nearly turned off this book when on my first Kindle screen I saw two words that were misused, the close-but-no-cigar type words. This did happen throughout the text, as if the author was grasping to sound either more erudite or poetic. This book did hold a few surprises but not of the good kind. The cover is a bit misleading. While there is a romantic element, it is relatively mild and feels minor compared to the rest of the story. Given that romantic feel of the cover, too, I wasn’t quite expecting the level of violence, and I am not really a fan of that. The author did do a good job, however, of showing the world through the characters’ eyes. I especially thought she did a good job with the heroine. You could feel her excitement about joining what she knew could be an amazing dig. You could also sense her disappointment when she realizes that the hero, with whom she has a complicated past, is also a part of it. The author did a fantastic job of showing the setting, both Egypt and the alternating senses of boredom and excitement of an archaeological dig. The visual descriptions were particularly detailed, but not overly much so, and engaging. So to me, all in all, this book was an odd mixture of parts, some that were very good and some that were disappointing.
Losing My Inhibitions by Olivia Springs
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NOT with Kindle Unlimited
Losing My Inhibitions*
Not as Good as Otheres in the Series
Oh, my! The very first scene surprised me, and if I hadn’t read other books by the author, I might have stopped reading there. But I’ve read two other books in this series and liked them, so I continued. I didn’t feel like this one quite met the mark set by the other ones. Those two seemed like they had more of a defined plan for the heroine, which was interesting to follow to see how she’d react. In this one, however, the basic course is not as clear, so it felt at times as if the book wandered without much purpose other than to show some sexy scenes. I was intrigued by this book because the main character was newly divorced and middle-aged; we don’t get enough middle-aged heroines in romances or even chick lit. I did feel at times that the steamy scenes were a bit over the top. I also felt like there was a little too much profanity. I did indeed like the first books that I read, but I think I enjoyed the context of them better, which might have allowed me to overlook some flaws. I’m not a fan of the end; it made me feel as if I had wasted time reading this book.
Falling for the Wrong Guy by Tami Franklin
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Falling for the Wrong Guy*
Love and Forgiveness in Holiday Junction
In this latest installment of the Holiday Junction series, the author is able to convey such realistic, humorous interplay between the characters. I’ve read some books lately where the humor just doesn’t work; it falls flat or tries too hard. I enjoyed the funny little moments between Joey and her mom and Joey and Braden. Children often do appear in romances where the characters are a bit older, but I absolutely love how sometimes Joey was actually the viewpoint character. I don’t think I’ve often seen romances do that, and it was very well done here. Joey was a fantastic character, and I love the way that she looked at the world, her approach to it, and how much she cared about her mother. Abby and Braden definitely have chemistry, even at first when they are clearly at odds. I like the way the author slowly revealed their backstory that showed how their somewhat turbulent relationship came to be.
As in all the other Holiday Junction books, the residents of the small town were deeply embroiled in the story between Abby and Braden. Gotta love those Matchmaking Mamas! It certainly adds an undercurrent of fun to this book in particular and the series in general. The way the characters came to understand one another and grow and evolve seemed natural, not forced in any way. One of the elements that I really liked in particular in this story was how Abby was dealing with her grief of losing her husband; it seems so real when she would have little conversations with his photo while she was trying to figure out things. This is definitely a story that delivered all the feels that you want in a romance. I enjoyed seeing a little bit more of Lena and Gage; their story is a particular favorite of mine from this series. The only thing I didn’t like about the story is that it didn’t end with the definite HEA. Yes, it seems like things are heading in that direction, but they’d barely gotten straightened around when the book ended. I like my HEAs! No matter; I still highly recommend this book and the series.
The C Word by Michelle MacQueen and Ann Maree Craven
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The C Word*
Another Good Installment in Amazing Series
This book wraps up the story of the six teens that were intimately involved in a car crash that killed one of their group. The authors did an excellent job of wrapping up the various loose threads in the previous books as well as what happened in this book. We finally got to see the whole picture of what happened on that fateful night; Addison’s and Julian’s parts fleshed it all out. I was pleased to see a friendship renewed in this story; this was wholly separate from the romance. Addison and Julian’s story didn’t feel like it had quite as much depth as the first two books of the series, but the authors did still address some very weighty issues in this book, including sexual assault, bullying, peer pressure, and drunk driving. I hadn’t liked Addison in the other books because of the way she treated her former friend Peyton, but this book goes a long way to show how and why Addison changed. I absolutely loved Julian in this book. Honestly, he has intrigued me in the little part he played in each previous book because he seemed to be such a quiet, thoughtful, and helpful young man. I absolutely adored that his way of coping with all that happened was writing a romance story—one in which he could take the hero’s role and create a happy ending that was harder for him to attain in real life. What a delightful and good metaphor! I enjoyed how Julian and Addison’s relationship deepened in real life while they were carrying on an anonymous online relationship as well. In the latter, neither knew that it was the other that they were chatting with. Again, another well-done book in this series. I think that this series could do with one or two books more, one focusing on Becks (who is such an interesting character) and one focusing on Meghan (because I think she needs to learn a lesson or two about life!).
Her Fake Irish Husband by Michele Brouder
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Her Fake Irish Husband*
Well-Done Fake Marriage Trope
I read a lot of romance, so I’m not unfamiliar with the trope of a fake marriage. This particular story, however, is an absolutely delightful spin on the theme. Rachel, the heroine, is a go-getter at her problem-solving company, and when an Irish earl, Thomas, comes looking for assistance finding a fake bride so he can hold on to his inheritance, she decides she is the best candidate for the short-term contract. It will also allow her to help some friends who need money. Thomas is a little taken aback that she has put herself forward, but Rachel’s boss believes it is a brilliant solution to a problem that needs fixing in less than a week. What made this story so fun was the banter and interaction between the characters as well as the fact that it actually did take them some time to develop feelings for each other. This is no insta-love book. Instead, they are two very different people who don’t come off to each other necessarily very well at the beginning but soon prove themselves to be better people than the other one first imagined. Rachel also helps Thomas navigate the press and deal with other issues. In the manor, Rachel has some problems that she must work through with the staff. There’s also some great humor with one of Thomas’s friends, Sammy. I wish he had more page time. I loved what we saw of Rachel’s family. The various relationships in this book felt authentic and relatable. If you enjoy the fake marriage trope, you will most likely enjoy this very well-done take on that theme.
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