Reading Fanatic Reviews
Romantic FantasyThe Duke of Distraction by Darcy Burke
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
The Duke of Distraction*
Unique Hero and Heroine in Real Friends-to-Lovers Romance
This is a true friends-to-lovers Regency romance. The hero and heroine are actually simply good lifelong friends who have no romantic interest in each other at the start of the book. They are both atypical Regency characters; at the beginning, he is genuinely an unreformed and unrepentant rogue, and she is a lady who wants to open a millinery shop to feature her creations and truly has no desire to wed. (I love how he was so supportive about this, even helping her look for a shop.) They are both shocked and appalled when her parents state that they should marry each other. The heroine is mortified that her parents would do such a thing. Instead, Felix decides to help Sarah find a husband by creating events, like a private horse race and house party, where he can invite eligible gentlemen. What will Felix do as he does find himself growing more and more attracted to Sarah? Will Sarah stand firm in her desire for spinsterhood?
Some Regencies and other books I’ve read lately have lacked a certain “je ne sais quois.” However, right away with this book, I felt drawn in by an author who knows how to propel a story forward with solid characterization and plot twists I didn’t fully see coming. I was intrigued to see how this particular set of definitely “just friends” was going to proceed to love. I felt like I could trust the author just to take me where she needed to go in terms of both character and plot, and I was not disappointed. Both of the main characters were fun at the start with their independence and unusual ways. When tragedy struck, and as the romance bloomed, both characters showed depth, generosity, and patience (though in different ways). Felix is definitely a swoon-worthy hero despite his roguishness which belies a tender heart and a genuinely good soul. It took tragedy to draw him out and patience to see that through. An emotional read at times—but those are my favorite kind!
Hearts in Georgia by Ruby Hill and Marian Wilson
Hearts in Georgia*
Collection of Heartwarming, Sweet Small-Town Romances
This is a heartwarming collection of four stories based around a small town in Georgia. The first two books have an outsider coming into the community. The first, Lysander, blends in well even though he comes in from across the country. He and his two children are very nearly adopted by the couple next door. Their daughter is involved in a relationship with a guy who does not appreciate her; I was actually a little surprised at how much of the novel the bad boyfriend was in. In the second story, the new person does not integrate into the town fabric nearly so easily. Each story is relatively short, yet the author is able to ramp up the emotions in each story and create tension. Each story is distinct, which I always appreciate in a collection. If you enjoy the kind of feel-good, low-angst romance that you see on the Hallmark Channel, you will most likely enjoy these stories.
Aliens and Androids by J. J. Harlan
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Aliens and Androids*
A Fun Little Collection of Very Short Stories
This is a very short collection of six short stories that all have science fiction themes. The first story is super short, just a few pages that can be read in a few minutes. I will have to say that the last line of that first one did make me laugh out loud. While none of the other stories did, I did find them fun, quick reads. It would seem that aliens and Androids are much like us! Both good and bad. There were some issues with grammar, punctuation, and spelling. But overall, these stories were just fast bits of fun.
Force Majeure by Ashley Barner and Jennifer Sanders
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Force Majeure*
Magical Quirky Cast… and Mystery
The book begins at the reading of the heroine’s grandfather’s will. She, her brother, and her sister are all his heirs, each getting a generous stipend from his business. But Hulda receives his house, which she silently understands means that she is to take over his position in the community—running a group of witches! But before things get too far, a storm forces an unlikely group of characters together.
The authors have done an excellent job of creating a cast of quirky characters. I have a hard time choosing which of the van Dusen siblings I like more. They’re each distinct and add a unique perspective to the twists and turns of the plot. Parts of this book felt very realistic, but it had a magical overlay that made it so much more than regular day-to-day life. I like how at the end the authors left so much open. What will be the next adventures for this group? I am interested in finding out.
Returning to Mr. Darcy by Sheena Austin
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Returning to Mr. Darcy*
Odd Mix of Regency and Modern JAFF
This story takes place in both the modern-day present and Regency past. I was surprised how much of it took place in the present. Modern-day Elizabeth Bennet is in a relationship with a man who doesn’t appreciate her and puts her second or third to everything else in his life. One of her boyfriend’s clients is a William Darcy, who for some reason doesn’t like the way his business associate treats his girlfriend. Modern-day Elizabeth is a big fan of Pride and Prejudice, as one might imagine. Suddenly, she finds herself back in Regency England with Mr. Darcy calling her his wife. How will it all turn out for Elizabeth and her Mr. Darcys?
As one who is accustomed to reading regular Jane Austen fan fiction that takes place solely in Regency times, I will admit it was a little jarring to read the sections about Elizabeth in modern times. I’m used to a certain gentleness in Jane Austen fan fiction, but these contemporary scenes reflected our more harsh reality. Frankly, I didn’t enjoy the modern sections. Elizabeth did seem to be a bit of a doormat in them. Her modern-day boyfriend is a cad and doesn’t treat her well. I think the cover should have reflected both the modern and Regency aspects of this story, not just the Regency ones.
We’ll Find a Way be Tia Lee
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
We'll Find a Way*
Not Quite What I Imagined
Serena is working two jobs to help her family. Her father is a drunk, and her mother watches over the other children. At her job as a cook’s assistant at a pub specializing in French food, she meets a Yale student who has an interest in mechanical engineering. They are from different social strata, but they have attraction and agree to court. What will his family think of this?
I will admit to being surprised at the storyline somewhat. The blurb didn’t tell the extent how much worse off Serena’s family was compared to Everett’s. The book cover suggests a romance of equals; by the way, Serena would never have such a dress. It also suggests a lightness and frivolity that this book doesn’t have. The author didn’t seem to have a grasp of what to call certain historical items, like various conveyances.
Unfortunately, this book was riddled with many errors in grammar, punctuation, and usage. Sometimes very long sentences that required commas had none or not enough; commas were missing all over the place. Words that sounded closed were mistakenly used, like ridged for rigid. I felt like the narrative was too focused on what precisely everybody was saying and doing rather than occasional commentary that added to the general feel and description of emotions and surroundings. We are often told rather than shown.
Skarlit is No Fool by Isadora Brown
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Skarlit is No Fool*
Is the Danger from the Big, Bad Wolf?
Skarlit has been chosen as the one from her village to deliver medical supplies to a wealthy realm called Roses. It is said to be an honor, yet no one has ever returned from it alive. The only way to this realm is through a forest where a wolf lives that is believed to attack and kill the person sent. Skarlit knows all about the dangers because her grandmother was chosen four years ago and never returned. Skarlit does meet the wolf in the forest, but what happens to her there is just one of the surprises in this book.
If you read the first book in this series about Alice, you will be pleased to revisit Robin, Maryanne, and the Merry Men in this book. They provide a safe way station for Skarlit in the middle of the Emerald Forest.
The first part of the book and the underlying backstory did feel a bit derivative of The Hunger Games. It is also a twist on Little Red Riding Hood. I didn’t think that the premise was set up correctly. It just seemed unbelievable that the people in Skarlit’s village would continue to send people on the same path through dangerous woods when these people never came back. The author did state that going via the forest with the only way through, but if you have an understanding of typical geography, this seems unlikely. Or if it had to happen this way depending on topography, why wouldn’t the village set up some more protection than a single person going through the woods? If these supplies are so vital to Roses, why wouldn’t they give protection? Of course, some of this is answered at the very end of the novella, but the shaky setup made it hard for a suspension of disbelief. Some of the secrets that are revealed at the end are shocking, but they aren’t given any real basis in the early part of the story, so they don’t seem inevitable, as shocking moments in literature should be.
This novella is rather short and ends abruptly. I wonder how it actually all does turn out for Skarlit with her new reality and the new person that has become vital to it.
The Countess and the Baron by Isabella Thorne
Available at Amazon
Free with Kindle Unlimited
The Countess and the Baron*
Dark Topics Explored in Historical Romance
This is a very dark historical story. While it does have a romance at its core, this feels greatly overshadowed by the darkness of the heroine’s past and present. In fact, about 25% of the book is spent detailing this, and we don’t even meet the hero until about the quarter mark. Even after they meet, I don’t feel like much time was spent in the development of their relationship. The story seems tightly focused on the heroine and her struggles. I felt like I wanted to know the hero better. He was definitely a good and decent man, but like the villains in this story, he felt two dimensional. I like my books to resemble life in that no person is wholly good or wholly evil, and unfortunately, this book has failed in this characterization aspect. The villains in this story are truly evil, not just bad people, especially the heroine’s abusive husband whom we get to know quite a bit about.
The author did handle the difficult topics that this book addresses with delicacy. We don’t see abuse happening, but we do see its effects as well as snippets of memory. I really do think authors that deal with topics like incest, rape, and domestic violence should have trigger warnings at the bottom of their book blurbs. A reader should not have to infer from the blurb that such things are an integral part of a book. Saying that a character’s husband is worse than her father, a monster, doesn’t give enough detail for those who need for their own personal comfort and safety to stay away from such topics.
There were a few odd problems with grammar, punctuation, and usage. Commas in particular seem problematic, with extra ones thrown in and others missing. There was one time when the heroine’s maiden name was misspelled as Barrington instead of Baggington.
Personally, I don’t like historical romances to be so dark, so I can’t say that I enjoyed this book.
Prince Darcy by Allison Smith
Available at Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Prince Darcy*
Disappointing P&P Variation
I am a massive Jane Austen fan fiction Reader, so I’m always looking for new and interesting takes on my favorite story, Pride and Prejudice, and my favorite couple, Elizabeth and Darcy. I’m intrigued by ones where Darcy is a prince, so this book naturally piqued my interest. Unfortunately, I found the book to be extremely disappointing. The plot, as you might imagine from the description, varies widely from canon, but I don’t usually mind this; I like stories that place ODC in new circumstances and see how they fare. This is definitely meant to be a blend of Pride and Prejudice and Cinderella placed in a fantasy setting. So while Meryton and Pemberley exist in this world, Derbyshire has princes and princesses. There are other principalities within England as well as unaffiliated areas. For me, I found it difficult to reconcile this fantasy version of England with what I’m so familiar with in canon and real life.
Both the story and the characterization fall so far from canon that I think the author would have actually done better just to make a completely new story not associated with Pride and Prejudice. The Elizabeth Bennet in this story just doesn’t act like the Elizabeth Bennet that we know and love. I was immediately turned off from the book when it is stated early on that Elizabeth wants to slap her stepmother; that is so not Elizabeth Bennet! Her relationship with the servants is far too casual to feel believable. Other things the author has her say and do are so different that she is a wholly different character than Jane Austen’s creation, and not a completely likable one. I thought Darcy was a bit more stiff and unapproachable than even in canon. Jane was a weaker character, and even in her limited role, not like her character in canon. Part of the beauty of Jane’s character in the original is her unfailing kindness and ability to see the best in others; here, she is even sometimes cynical. These are just not the characters we know and love.
Some things that occurred in the story felt too modern, not of either the fantasy realm or the world of the typical Pride and Prejudice variation. There are also issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. Since I was already not liking this story, this did grate on my nerves somewhat. If you enjoy Jane Austen fan fiction, I would suggest you look elsewhere for your next book.
The Lady Warriors of Barony by Elise Marion
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
The Lady Warriors of Barony*
Trio of Strong Women Find Their HEAs
This book is a collection of three novellas about three very different female warriors who helped change the tides of history in Barony. Each novella shows the background of each woman as well as her present circumstance before their worlds go awry in very different ways. But each is also a romance, with heroes that are very appropriate for these strong women.
This is the first book that I have read of this series, so I don’t have the whole background, but I can say you don’t need to have read the previous books to appreciate this one. All three women who starred in these novellas have an incredible strength of character as well as of body. Their histories are complex, and the very first story about Ava pulled me right in with the horrific description of the rebels coming through her town when she was a child. The author did a brilliant job of showing this pivotal moment that changed this young girl in more ways than one. This very first scene pulled me into this set of books emotionally so I couldn’t help but want to continue. I appreciate the racial diversity of these women. The stories are so very different, which is a delight in the collection, as they often contain stories that are too similar. The heroes were the perfect matches and compliments to the heroines, and the HEAs were very satisfying and wholly appropriate for the circumstances of each story.
The author has the ability to describe with such depth that you feel like you can see what’s going on or the surroundings and feel the emotions of the characters, yet it doesn’t feel like too much narrative or description. Not an easy thing to do! She literally draws you into the story with an ease that I rarely see in fiction, and I read a lot! She has developed plots that play up the heroine’s strengths but also show their vulnerabilities. If you like well-written, engaging fantasy with strong female leads that feels moored in reality, you may very well enjoy this set of novellas.
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