Reading Fanatic Reviews
Books to Add to Your TBR list... or Not!Hey, ya’ll! I’m VERY behind getting my reviews up on the website! I’ve increased the reading and reviewing, leaving less of my leisure time available to update this website. I’ll do weekly posts with links to my reviews at Amazon; you can also check out my Amazon and Goodreads profiles.
By the way, I’m now a top 50 Amazon.com reviewer (#12 currently) and the top 8 US reviewer of all time on Goodreads (and top 9 in the world)… and the #6 US reviewer and #8 in the world in the past year. Cool stuff!
I hope to make updates to this site soon!
Marrying Mars by Shay Quin
Marrying Mars*
The Bachelor: Mars Edition
We meet Billie after her friend convinces her to do a call-in show that use subterfuge to figure out if someone’s partner is cheating on them. We watch her devastation and public humiliation as she finds out that her friend is right; her boyfriend has been cheating on her., She moves out and retreats into herself, her only enjoyment being watching the reality TV show about the in-progress colonization of Mars. At the start of the new season, her celebrity crush on this show, Marsden, announces a spin-off show in which women will compete to be his bride; Earth citizens can pick the final 5, but Marsden gets the ultimate yeah or nay. Billie decides to enter. What does she have to lose?
How will Billie do in all the tests and competitions that are a part of the show? Can she make him notice her? Will she be able to develop real feelings for this man while he’s on Mars and she’s on Earth? Will she win?
The author did an excellent job of showing the state of Billie’s life before it all went downhill. It was a gripping scene to watch her go through that call-in show where she finds out about her boyfriend’s infidelity. I love that Billie is an unapologetically normal sized woman in a world where tinier is better. She is an empathetic character, and I love her humor, which is often self-deprecating. I actually did laugh out loud a few times. I found to be such an enjoyable, guilty-pleasure read with just that little bit different, but fascinating spin on something that we’re already familiar with. Fans of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette will enjoy this for sure!
Redeemed Unto Freedom by Journey Jackson
Redeemed Unto Freedom*
Love and Order in the Classroom
Melissa Kettering, from Baltimore, makes the journey to Clear Water, Montana, after the deaths of her husband and child to start a new life as a school teacher. Rob Forrester is the schoolmaster in Clear Water. While they get along personally, they have some differences of opinion about how to handle order in the classroom. Will Melissa soften Rob’s ways? Or will he demand that she be more like him? As they come to know each other, will romantic sparks fly?
This book has more than the typical issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. Commas are problematic. The book takes place in Montana in the 1870s. Yet the author uses words and phrases that are more modern and seems jarring in the context of the story. For instance, Rob initially referred to Melissa as Ms. Kettering. The use of the title *Ms.* is a more modern invention; she would have been called Mrs. Kettering. There are lots of awkward phrases and juxtapositions, and the dialogue doesn’t sound natural. Their journey to love was not shown in a way that made it seem believable.
The Road Leads Back by Marci Bolden
The Road Leads Back*
Breathtakingly Beautifully Written Tale of Coming Home To Love
Forty-something hippie chick artist, Kara, is blown away when she is touched on the shoulder by a man she hasn’t seen since their one-night stand nearly thirty years ago. They had each had a secret crush on each other during high school, and after a graduation party, acted on it. This resulted in a pregnancy that, through no fault of either of them, Harry never knew about. Their son, Phil, is a father of a young daughter with Down syndrome.
How will this play out for this long-fractured family unit? Can Kara give up her resentment and anger and allow Harry to get to know his son and granddaughter? How will Harry react to finding out that he is not only the father of a grown son but also a grandfather to a special needs girl? Will Phil accept Harry and allow him to know his daughter?
What an emotional ride! This author hit all the right buttons showing the varied and varying emotional responses of the primary characters. The pain expressed by them is raw and real. She deftly reveals the past slowly so the various parties can understand the impact of decisions made by others that affected this family unit. The author writes with an emotional honesty that is breathtaking to read. I tend to move quickly through books, as I am an avid and fast reader, but this book had me slowing down and immersing myself in the thoughts and feelings of these good people who had been kept apart. It is a real pageturner, though not in the action-filled sense we usually think of one.
On the book review site where I downloaded this book from, it was listed as both Contemporary Romance and Women’s Literature. I agree with these labels; categories at both review sites and online retailers are often inaccurate. If you read romance, you’ve read the second chance at romance and the secret child tropes before a gazillion times. But in this book, these themes are explored with emotional and psychological depth, which is more common in women’s literature. Kudos to the author for creating such three-dimensional characters and an in-depth backstory. For instance, it was beautiful to read Harry’s reaction as he was thumbing through Phil’s baby pictures.
Goddess of Love by Fallyn Briggs
Goddess of Love*
What If You Shared Body and Consciousness with Aphrodite?
When Andra was a young girl, she loved the stories her mother told her about the ancient Greek gods and goddesses. Little did she know that those stories were real and would become her nightmare. According to the legends her mother shared, the Olympian gods were cursed to continue existing but only through human hosts, generation after generation. Andra’s family had often been host to these gods and goddesses. On her 18th birthday, Andra becomes host to the goddess Aphrodite. Being a goddess, Aphrodite wants to completely take over Andra’s life, which she very nearly does. Andra lives where Aphrodite wants, has the job the goddess wants her to have, and interacts with others as Aphrodite wants her to do (even, at times, making Andra black out so she won’t remember). She’s married to the host of Hephaestus; the god is kind, but his host is not. Her being the host of Aphrodite has strained other relationships in her life, particularly with her sister.
Will Andra ever be able to take control of her life from Aphrodite? Can she improve her relationship with her human husband, Kal? Is there any hope for her love life . . . and the rest of the problems created by her unique situation?
I liked the way the author introduced the mythical part of the book, having Andra’s mother relate the myths to the 8-year-old girl. The author does an excellent job of showing the mental battles between Andra and Aphrodite. She was able to show how Andra felt continually put upon by Aphrodite’s thoughts and actions. The author presented other gods and goddesses in ways that rang true to Greek mythology.
This is a very unusual book, but one that I found interesting to read. I like it when authors play around with fairytales and mythology, especially when they bring it into contemporary times. The author pulled that off very well.
I received a free copy of this book, but this did not affect my review.
Once Upon a Murder by D. E. Dennis
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Once Upon a Murder*
Grimm Time for the Charmings
It’s been a slow time for those at Grimm Investigations. Brother-and-sister team Michael and Monica just landed a new case. The teenage son of one of the wealthy families has just turned up murdered. The Charmings have hired Grimm Investigations, much to the chagrin of one of the police officers, Gutierrez, who never liked Michael. Castle Rock is a town of haves and have nots. Who would want to kill the Charming’s son? Will the PIs and police be able to work together?
The book had more than the common issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. The typical comma issues were a problem; there were rarely commas between independent clauses in a compound sentence, and commas after an introductory phrase were often missing. The words who/that were used incorrectly. I don’t typically notice adverbs and adjectives, though the former are often decried these days, but the beginning of the book seems to have an excess amount of these modifiers, which slowed reading.
That said, the book has some funny moments that one looks for in a cozy mystery. I’m a sucker for a story with good family dynamics, and I loved the relationship between the Grimm siblings. There were fairytale in-jokes. I like that the brother and sister PIs were from the Grimm family. That definitely helps set up the concept of the series. After all, any manner of fairytales could be exploited under the Grimm name.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Handbags & Hooligans by Laina Turner
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Handbags & Hooligans*
What Happens in Vegas
Before she can really start her new job as a Mary Kay consultant, Presley leaves town for Las Vegas. Her friend Anne has been involved in wedding planning, and she and her fiance decide to ditch all the plans and just run off to Vegas instead. Presley’s younger brother lives in Vegas. Unfortunately, his girlfriend has gone missing, and it appears the brother has secrets as well.
Will they find the missing girlfriend? What secrets have been hidden . . . and by whom? Will the wedding still go off without a hitch? Does a new career await Presley in Las Vegas?
This book wasn’t quite as humorous at the last one, but it was fun to get a little more insight into Presley’s family. I like how the author has been setting up each book of the series with a prologue that describes a key scene that is relevant to the central mystery of the book.
If you have enjoyed the previous books in this series, you will enjoy Presley’s next adventure.
I received a free copy of this book, but this did not affect my review.
Tesla by Jason Walker
Available at Amazon, Kobo, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
Tesla*
Would There Be Danger If What Was Hidden Was Found
Starting with an interesting scene where are Tesla, Edison, and Mark Twain meet with a secret group high up in the relatively new Eiffel Tower, having been invited by Monsieur Eiffel himself. The Tesla story is juxtaposed with a more modern one based around a spy named Darren and his wife who work for a secret arm of the CIA, operating as agents for the shadow government. Darren comes across some old original notes of Tesla’s. What will he do with his findings? Will they put him and his family in danger?
This book is written in the present tense, and in general, I think that is an awkward way to write fiction. And unfortunately, in this case, sometimes the other tenses required to show proper sequence of time weren’t chosen correctly around the ubiquitous present tense; this is one of the pitfalls of using the present tense. That said, this was still an interesting read, making the reader of ponder what unknown knowledge might be hiding out there, who are keeping it secret, and what it could mean if it was known.
In just a total aside . . . Since Mark Twain was the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, I think it would have made an ironic twist to have the members of the secret committee him as Sam instead of Mark.
Flames of Fear by A. C. Pontone
Flames of Fear*
Learning More About Her Background . . . and Theirs
After the disaster in the last book, the Drakon brothers are keeping Emma under very close watch. Emma learns many more things about this new world that she was born into, but she never knew existed, including surprises about her lineage and more information about her Twin Flames. She also gets to meet other key players in the magical realm, and she starts to understand better her role within it. Two powerful kings, though, have their own plans for her.
How will Emma’s relationship evolve with her Twin Flames? How do her father and Amy fit into it all? Who will be the master of her fate, her or someone else?
I appreciated that the author gave a little sum-up of book one from Emma’s perspective at the start; there is always time between reading books in a series, so a mini recap helps. I do feel, though, that the exposition at the beginning went on a little long, not only summarizing information of the last book but summarizing some of what has happened between the end of that book and the start of this one. Of note, this book had several cliffhangers. I like how we learned more about the background of the Drakon brothers, especially James.
If you enjoyed the previous book in this series, you will appreciate reading about their continuing adventure as well as Emma and the Drakon brothers learning more about each other. While this could be enjoyed without having read the first book since she does do a good job of summarizing it, you will have a deeper appreciation of the story if you have read book 1.
Berried Alive by Chelsea Thomas
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Berried Alive*
Going Toes Up in the Berries
In this installment of Apple Orchard Cozy series starts off with a mini mystery! Who is behind the Post-it caper at the Brown Cow? But things soon take an ominous turn. Local business owners are up in arms about the developer who has come to Pine Grove with plans to open up a Massive Mart. When he is found face-down, murdered, in a berry pie, Chelsea and Miss May are ready to step in to help local law enforcement figure out what’s going on.
Who is behind the developer’s death? Will Chelsea pursue the relationship with her favorite detective? What about Germany Turtle, son of the victims is of the previous crime that Chelsea and Miss May helped with?
This was a light, fun read. The author has set up a quirky female amateur sleuth team in Chelsea and Miss May. As often happens in cozy mysteries, there is a lot of humor here, and it is well done. In this book, I particularly enjoyed the little moments with Germany Turtle. I am a massive Jane Austen fan, and Germany Turtle reminded me in his interesting mix of pomposity and servility of Mr. Collins. I like him better than Mr. Collins, though; Germany just comes across as very sweet and perhaps not comfortable than people. His speeches were rather humorous.
I found one glaring error in the book. The author called the Marianas Trench the Mariana Trench. As I have several friends who are named Mariana, this stuck out like a sore thumb to me. But still, I quite enjoyed this quirky cozy.
Say I Do by Crystal Kaswell
NOTE: It appears that this book is no longer available for sale.
Say I Do*
Sex and Profanity . . . Oh, My!
This boxset contains three of the author’s novels as well as an extended sample of one that is coming out this spring. I loved the cover; it looks so sweet and innocent that I thought the stories would be the same. So I was a little surprised when the first novel started out with a fair amount of profanity. That story, Dangerous Rock, is about a spur-of-the-moment marriage between a rock musician and a usually more proper woman. The second one, Pretend You’re Mine, has a man pretending to be dating his best female friend so that he can save face at his ex’s wedding…but it starts to become real. The final one, Play Your Heart Out, is another story about a “pretend” relationship. This time, a rockstar who has the image of “boyfriend” is now minus his real-life girlfriend; his record company wants him to get another one ASAP. So he hires a law student to pretend to be his girlfriend; he’ll pay for her law school.
I found these novels to be disappointing. They are so different for my expectation, not knowing the author’s reputation and just judging the book by the cover. The books are pretty much all sex and profanity, and there isn’t much distinction between various characters and how they speak or act; each character should always be individual. I found the style of writing choppy as well. There were a lot of one sentence paragraphs which, doesn’t make for an easy or insightful read.
Jamie Brydone-Jack
Reader, Editor, Writer
I’m an avid reader, for both fun and work/business. I enjoy a wide variety of books, including literary fiction, romance, thrillers, cozy mysteries, and fantasy for fiction and history, contemporary issues, philosophy, music, medicine, and cookbooks for nonfiction. I’m a freelance copyeditor who also does beta and alpha reading. I have two websites that are all about romance and mystery. You can also follow my reviews at Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.
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