Reading Fanatic Reviews
Romantic FantasyThe Favored Wife by Amy Pennza
Available at Amazon only
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The Favored Wife*
Will She Ever Be Free?
What a gripping story! I’ll admit that I don’t usually read serious fiction most of the time. Generally, I prefer light and fluffy historical romance. But something about this book when I saw it at a book review site caught my eye. The author did a fantastic job of showing the intricacies of a polygamous religious marriage. We see it all through the eyes of the youngest wife, somewhat ironically called “the favored wife” in the title. She has grown up within this religious sect so knows nothing else. When she gets a job in the outside world to help support the family (because she hasn’t been able to have children), she is definitely a naïve person, not even knowing what we consider to be common cultural references. Her world had been her “husband” Thomas, his other wives, and the children. The author paints a pretty harsh picture of dominance and submission and not just between the husband and the wives but within the sister-wife hierarchy. It is a brutal world that the heroine lives in. I don’t want to give too much away, but the megalomaniacal tendencies of the husband are seen through to a nasty conclusion that forces a separation between the heroine and the world that she has known. This is an emotionally charged read and not an easy one. The characters are well drawn, and we are shown this world in vivid detail through the character’s eyes. The plot is not at a breakneck pace. Rather, things seem to go along somewhat normally, but then bigger events happen. It kept me wondering what would happen next. This is a well-written book, but if you have any triggers about spousal abuse, it would be better if you skipped it.
Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners by Elena Rose
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners*
Yummy-Looking Giant Collection of Air Fryer Recipes
As someone who eats vegetarian and sometimes vegan but has a family of omnivores, I love a cookbook that has recipes for everyone. This book certainly fills the bill. It is a collection of over 600 recipes. It has the standard division by type of protein or ingredient, but I was delighted to find a specifically vegan section. Vegetarians will actually find quite a lot in this book even though it starts off with a parade of meat dishes. For vegetarians, there are sections on vegetables and sides, appetizers and snacks (many of which are vegetarian), rice and grains, and the vegan one I talked about. There is, of course, also a section for desserts as well as an “Air Fryer Favorites” section. Before the recipes, the book starts off with an introduction, with a couple of paragraphs of tips, mistakes to avoid, and benefits, etc. I thought the introduction was ordered kind of strangely. For instance, the second-to-last topic is the benefits. To me, that would seem like something to lead the intro section off with. But that is a minor quibble. The recipes that I looked at seemed relatively simple and straightforward, and some of them sounded quite tasty. The author does explore some international cuisines as well as healthful spins on American classics. The recipes I looked at appeared to be in proportion, which is always so important in any recipe but especially important when you’re dealing with a fixed-sized appliance like an air fryer. If you have an air fryer and are looking for inspiration, this could be just the ticket.
A Baron for Becky by Jude Knight
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, Smashwords, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
A Baron for Becky*
Second Half is an Emotional Read
I am of several minds about this book. I found it confusing to start off with. The heroine’s name is Becky, but the prologue and the first part of the book don’t refer to a Becky. The woman who is Becky is first called Rose, by the name she is known as a courtesan. The prologue itself was confusing because I had no idea who the man or the two children were or who the woman he referred to was. Was he talking about the heroine in the past tense? Sometimes prologues are like that. A bit too confusing for my liking. The first half seemed to be filled with crime with nasty characters and various types of debauchery. The men in the first half of the book did not comport themselves as gentlemen. But the second half, or so, of the book was a surprise, especially given what the first part of the novel was like. The story turned into something completely different. I found myself completely caught up in Becky’s story then, her horrible past as well as the future that she was trying to make with her husband. Even with all she had been through, she is a kind and compassionate person, trying to do her best for those in her sphere—all the while thinking poorly of herself because of her past. Reading her backstory and seeing her grapple with postpartum depression certainly brought tears to my eyes. So if you’re willing to slog through the first part, the second half is much better.
Process of Illumination by Jessa Archer
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Process of Illumination*
Halloween Mayhem in Cedar Valley
Let me first say that I absolutely love the hand lettering cozy mystery series, and I am always happy when another book in the series shows up at my favorite book review site. I love the elements of hand lettering that the author weaves into the story, and she has created a main character in Jamie Lang who does have an attention to detail that a hand letterer would have. This comes in handy because she is often embroiled in mysteries, of course! I enjoyed the Halloween and fall aspects of this particular story are. Cedar Valley appears to go all out for it, including a zombie run. But it turns out that one of the number isn’t one of the undead but has actually been murdered. And of course, Jamie has to get involved. The people love to gab in the small town but not always with law enforcement… and even sometimes Jamie.
I like the community that the author has developed for this series. A good cozy needs a community of quirky characters, and this one has it. Unfortunately, in this installment of the series, I felt like the cozy aspect overwhelmed in the mystery aspect. The book is relatively short, but the murder doesn’t happen until close to the 20% mark, not leaving as much it time to fully develop the murder plot as I would have liked. The stuff earlier about all the goings-on in Cedar Valley for the festivities was definitely delightful and interesting, but I always feel like I just want to get to the dead body in a mystery so that the mystery part can start to unwind, take its twists and turns, and still leave plenty of space for red herrings and dead ends. Still, I did enjoy this book, mostly for revisiting favorite characters. (But what about Aunt Opal? Missed her!)
Vegan Mac & Cheese by Robin Robertson
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Vegan Mac & Cheese*
Vegans Can Get Their Mac Back
I will admit that it was harder me to switch from vegetarianism to veganism than from omnivore to vegetarian. (Something I still grapple with!) The reason? Dairy… and more specifically… cheese. One of the things it is so easy to miss when you go vegan is the creamy meltiness of dairy. It is hard to replicate, and it is a common component of many comfort foods. Well, at least now with this cookbook, vegans can have their mac and cheese back. Or, as the author says, “mac uncheese.” However, for simplicity, I will just be going it mac and cheese in this review.
The book is divided into several chapters, starting with basic recipes and ending with some creative ideas for leftovers. In between, the author travels the globe mac-n-cheese style, highlights vegetable versions, and provides some dishes that may in some way mimic people’s previous meaty favorites. The book is full of inspired mac and cheese recipes. The sauce recipes I found to be quite fun. The author is very creative, mimicking the flavors and textures reminiscent of dairy mac and cheese. Nutritional yeast is in most recipes, and miso is common as well. As I have made the Happy Herbivore’s vegan nacho cheese, I can attest to the fact that these two ingredients impart flavor and complexity that is reminiscent of dairy cheese. The author often incorporates vegetables in the sauces, too, which would give both body and flavor. Vegetables used in sauces include red bell peppers, carrots, rutabagas, and potatoes.
The basic chapter is just what it sounds like–several basic sauces highlighting different approaches to vegan uncheese sauces (tofu, nutritional yeast, or cashew based) and even an allergen-free sauce. She even had a powdered version you can pre make to have on hand so you could whip up a homemade mac and cheese dish almost as quickly as that little blue box you get at the store. By the way, she doesn’t use store-bought vegan cheeses in these recipes, though she does talk about them in the introduction. If you like them, though, she recommends adding some to your sauce for another flavor/texture note.
What’s fun about a lot of these sauces (the basics and the other in the book), I think, is that you could mix and match them. Once you find a couple of sauces that you like, you could experiment with them. Use different add-ins, use different pasta shapes, or even use the sauce in a completely different recipe. When I experimented with vegan cheese sauces before, I actually found them very versatile. They make an excellent base for a pizza or something to toss vegetables in.
I thought the global cheesy mac chapter was a lot of fun. Some recipes don’t really come across to me as real mac and cheese type recipes, like the Greek Spinach Orzo Bake or the Blushing Baked Ziti (but it does sound tasty!). However, this is just a minor quibble. I thought that the aforementioned Blushing Baked Ziti and Salsa Mac and Queso sounded particularly good. The next chapter is about incorporating more vegetables into your mac and cheese, both into the sauce and added into the dish. There was even one creative dish that uses spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Where I think the author got the most inventive was in the final chapter, where she gives some fun ideas about what to do with pasta leftovers. She does provide some more “normal” suggestions in the introduction, but in this chapter, she gives you ideas of how to use your leftovers to make mac and cheese balls, mac and cheese pizza, and mac and cheese quesadillas amongs other yummy-sounding delights. I love a cookbook that pushes the boundaries of expectations like that and fires the imagination.
I’ve enjoyed this author’s cookbooks for years, and this book will soon become another favorite, I’m sure. All my family, even the confirmed omnivores, loves the chili recipe from one of her slow cooker cookbooks! I wonder if I could find another such recipe in this cookbook?
If you’re vegan and have loved mac and cheese, this book will be right up your alley. If you’re a mother who would like to add more vegetables to her children’s diets, you may very well appreciate the sauces that incorporate vegetables right into them. If they’re whizzed into a sauce, the kids may never know. Of course, if they’re like some of my younger relations, they don’t want any mac and cheese unless it’s from that little blue box!
The Joy of Missing Out by Tonya Dalton
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
The Joy of Missing Out*
Can Joy be Found in Productivity?
This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The title, of course, is a spin on the fear of missing out (FOMO), which is quite a catchphrase these days. My thought was that the joy of missing out (this book) would be the opposite of the fear of missing out, but that’s not how this book comes across. In fact, it is about productivity and uses the author’s four-part system to analyze and build that. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t associate joy with productivity! It almost feels as if the author is combining two buzzwords in trying to cobble together a method. The book is heavily anecdotal, particularly of the author’s life, though she also includes discussion of other people’s issues and forays into solving them. In general, storytelling is a good way to get across nonfiction concepts, but it must be done with a light hand. Examples shouldn’t go on for too long, and they should definitely correlate to whatever the topic is. These personal experiences and anecdotes often failed one or both of these criteria. The storytelling at times overwhelmed the message, so I wasn’t really clear what I was supposed to be taking away. That’s the danger of storytelling; the actual message can get lost in a high noise-to-signal ratio. The book, too, seems to be focused more on mothers of at-home children. Whether you’re looking at the topic from the perspective of the joy of missing out or productivity, not everyone who needs such guidance fits into that category. All in all, I found this to be a disappointing read.
10-Minute Tidy Home by Sara L. Hunter
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
10-Minute Tidy Home*
Basic Home Organization Tips
Don’t let the title give you high hopes. This 200-plus page book will not get your house tidy in 10 minutes. Rather, the book is full of ideas about how to organize each room in your home so that it will be more tidy; these tips are meant to be done in 10 minutes each. It really isn’t about decluttering or cleaning, the latter mentioned in the subtitle of the book. I found some of the tips to be super basic and common sense, while others were ideas I had not thought of. Not every tip would be something that everyone would use or need, but there is a lot in here that gives food for thought about how to have a more organized home. Despite what the author promises, not every tip would take only 10 minutes to accomplish. Some would take only minutes, while others could take hours depending on your current level of disorganization. In the introduction, the author does suggest that whatever task you attempt, to only do it in small 10-minute doses so that way you don’t give up, overwhelmed by the task or the greater sense of all that you need to accomplish.
The book is split into three parts. Part 1 is what I talked about above, where she gives tips for each room in the home, including the garage. She takes her organizational skills beyond stuff in the house for parts two and three. In part 2, she gives tips for having stress-free holidays, house guests, and parties. In part 3, she discusses travel and moving. I did find the book helpful, and I believe I will be implementing some of her ideas.
Bewitching You by Katana Collins
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Bewitching You*
Not What I’d Hoped
I was looking forward to a fun and sweet little Halloween romance, but unfortunately, this wasn’t quite it. First, I was turned off by the profanity in the book as well as some crude descriptions. I just don’t like books to have profanity. It’s one of my big dislikes and can sometimes set a bad tone for the entire book. I didn’t quite buy the relationship between the hero and heroine. They had a strange love-hate relationship that got sexual way too fast. If you don’t mind very steamy reads with little plot and some profanity, you might like this book.
Behind the Baron’s Mask by Penny Fairbanks
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Behind the Baron's Mask*
Who Was that Masked Man?
This book started off really well for me. The hero, Henry, is a Darcy like one. He shuns society except when forced by his friend. Like Darcy, he tends to either skulk around the edges of a ballroom or hang out in the back. He is a baron with a secret; he writes Adventure novels. He is very dedicated to his task, preferring to spend nearly all of his time writing to just about any other activity. The heroine, Cecilia, is just starting her third season, and her social-climbing parents are demanding that she marry this year. She is determined to find a love match, which is why she has turned down past suitors. She not only wants love but companionship and a true meeting of minds (including the arts because she is an avid pianoforte player). At a masquerade, she meets a mysterious man who says all the right things, but they part before they learn each other’s identities.
Of course, the masked man is Henry, but when Henry and Cecilia meet later, he is his normal, closed-off self. But his friend is interested in Cecilia’s younger sister, and that friend insists that Henry accompany them on outings. It certainly isn’t easy for Cecilia and Henry at first, but they eventually find common ground, and their feelings start to grow for each other. I thought this part of the book had some issues with the development of the romance because Henry seemed against it for so long, and then suddenly, he’s saying he has a deeper attachment. It just didn’t seem realistic.
But the story for me went off the rails when Henry unilaterally decided that he and Cecilia couldn’t be together because of his intense interest in his writing career and his belief that she would suffer playing second fiddle to his muse and his reclusive ways. The way that he just pulled away and the way that she just accepted that and wallowed in misery—just didn’t feel like good romance to me. Probably because he was a Darcy-like hero, I wanted him to act more like Darcy here. I wanted him to be more constant and to move heaven and Earth for his woman, even when personally uncomfortable. All good love stories need a proof of love moment near the end, and the story didn’t have that. So, it fell a little flat.
I did really like the heroine’s character. She had moments of introspection, but she did love her friends and was well-liked in her close society. And I absolutely adored the relationship between the two sisters. Having grown up in a house with four sisters, I thought that their relationship was believable and quite sweet at times. They both looked out for each other and had each other’s back. I appreciated that the author did not go down the road of so many other books, where sisters are pitted against each other. Juliet, the younger sister, was stronger than I would have imagined. The sisters were definitely the bright spot in this book. I did like Henry when he wasn’t being stupid… LOL.
Meant to Be by Sara Bennett
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, 24 Symbols, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, Indigo (Chapters), and Bol.de
Meant to Be*
Non-Heroic Hero
I am not quite sure what to make of this novel. It certainly isn’t your standard hearts-and-flowers Regency. The book starts with a prologue that is set in the current timeframe of the novel, but the next couple chapters go back in time to show the hero and heroine’s relationship starting when they were small children. The heroine comes across as very naïve, which unfortunately is probably true to the times. She certainly trusted the hero more than she should have. Because of a scandal instigated by the hero’s father to keep the couple apart, the hero and heroine are separated for a few years. In that time, the heroine has remained true to her memory of her childhood love and hopes that he will rescue her. But the hero is actually not the rescuing kind, shall we say, and frankly I didn’t find him terribly heroic. Or at least not the way I like to see a hero in a historical romance. I don’t think he treated Sophy, whom he is supposed to care about so much, very well. When they were small children, he was better, but as he developed feelings for her, things became a little sordid. And I just didn’t like the way he treated her when they found each other again after the three-year break. Silly me, but I like my romantic heroes to actually be decent men who live up to the term of hero, even if it is in a small way. It’s never good when you hope that the heroine will end up with someone other than the hero. I thought this book was way overly sexual, too. For those who have triggers, there is an attempted rape in this story. I just did not like this book.
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