I just couldn't with this book. The heroine, burned by a cheater ex-husband, was oblivious to what was smacking her in the facSo. Much. Cheese. [image]
I just couldn't with this book. The heroine, burned by a cheater ex-husband, was oblivious to what was smacking her in the face (I think it was the above cheese fish*) and the hero was unrealistically patient and way too coy about his desire to start a relationship with his best friend's ex-wife. Or maybe it was ex-best friend?
The setup: Cami comes home early one day and catches her husband in the act with another woman under their Christmas tree (part of the reason she now can't stand Christmas). She photoshops their wedding pictures to crop him out and then posts them online. It's such a hit that she's now made a business out of doing it for other women, along with cautionary blog posts about never getting involved with men. Stay single!! Too bad for Cami that Noah Cullen is waiting to upend those plans.
I winced every time the the heroine had an inner debate with her giddy (but also wiser!) alter ego, Miss Sparkly, about the merits of falling in love, #NotAllMen, the joy of Christmas, living life to its fullest, etc. I never want to see the word "sparkly" again.
It's a very cutesy and squeaky clean contemporary romance, so if that's your jam and you adore cuteness in your chick lit, have at it! I breezed through it as quickly as possible (okay, skimmed is probably the better word for the last half) and returned it to Kindle Unlimited as soon as I finished.
* aka Guineafowl pufferfish (the yellow variant, obvs.)...more
So after two swings and misses on the Jane Austen fanfic, I went back to my GR friend Shifra's list of her top 10 JAFF novels, and read the Kindle samSo after two swings and misses on the Jane Austen fanfic, I went back to my GR friend Shifra's list of her top 10 JAFF novels, and read the Kindle sample of the one that came out on top, which was this one. It hooked me in enough that I actually decided to pay for it (it wasn't cheap, fair warning, but I was really needing some good P&P fanfic to take the taste of the mediocre ones out of my mouth).
In this iteration of Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy's tale, the point of divergence occurs when Darcy makes his first proposal to Elizabeth while she's visiting her friend Charlotte (who recently married Mr Collins). Rather than turning Darcy down flat, she asks him for some time to think about his proposal. Yes, she's still angry about his interference in Jane's and Wickham's lives, but he's intelligent, rich and handsome, and he inexplicably (to Elizabeth) has fallen in love with her, and he's promising to take care of her family if and when needed ... I guess this version of Elizabeth is a little more practical-minded than the original.
So after several days of mulling things over, Elizabeth accepts Darcy's proposal, though she warns him that she's not in love with him. Not a problem! says Darcy, sure that she'll fall for him soon. But as things develop, there are naturally bumps in the road (many of them familiar to P&P fans), Elizabeth isn't falling in love very quickly, and there are ample reasons during the engagement for both Elizabeth and Darcy to wonder if they're really doing the right thing. These being Regency times, it's very difficult to back out of an engagement, though.
So yes, I really did enjoy this one. It's much more romantic and relationship-focused than the original P&P, but it's pretty true to the original story and characters, and far more intelligently written than your run-of-the-mill fanfic. Lara Ormiston does a great job of digging into the characters' flaws and making them work through issues with a fair degree of realism.
And I'm a romantic at heart, I guess. This one got me in the feels. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to those who aren't down with Regency romance. But if you are, this one really is well done for the genre. It’s up near the top of my own JAFF list too! Will def reread when I need a romance fix....more
Kindle freebie romance time again, and this one falls squarely into the "brain candy" category.
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Jacintha, the lovely third daughter of a duke,Kindle freebie romance time again, and this one falls squarely into the "brain candy" category.
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Jacintha, the lovely third daughter of a duke, has never quite gotten over her almost-kiss with her friend Henry Musgrave when she was younger. But then Henry was sent off by his family to parts unknown to learn to take care of his family estates. He's just recently come back after some years, but now that he's reached his majority he's only interested in drinking and partying (and, it is implied, sleeping around). So, though it pains her heart, Jacintha blows Henry off - I have to say I liked that part - and tries to talk herself into accepting the attentions of Lord Slate.
Little does Jacintha know that between her pointed words and a stern talking to by his uncle, Henry has finally realized that by heedlessly enjoying his freedom, he's been hurting his family and damaging his own and his sister's prospects. He quickly resolves to turn over a new leaf and, by the way, try to impress Jacintha with his changed ways and try to convince her to give him another chance.
Uncle Roderick's grand idea is to have Henry join him in fighting smuggling operations on the coast of England. It just so happens that this is right where Lord Slate's mansion is. (Here's where the coincidences start to pile up.) And maybe Lord Slate is involved in smuggling ... (view spoiler)[And OF COURSE there's a hidden tunnel from his mansion to the caves down the sea. Duh. How could that possibility not have occurred to Uncle Roderick's anti-smuggling task force? I called it immediately. (hide spoiler)]
The characters are pretty much one-dimensional and the plot falls on the unbelievable side of contrived for me. There's also this weird thing where Jacintha keeps talking about how she just wants a "marriage of convenience," by which she actually means a practical union that's not complicated by love, not one where the couple isn't sharing a bed. She's saying this for no apparent reason that I can see, especially since when she's presented with the perfect practical option with Lord Slate, she totally drags her heels. Because Henry! (view spoiler)[And personally I think an author is taking the too-easy way out when they make the other potential love interest turn out to be a villain. (hide spoiler)]
On the plus side, the plot moves along at a good smart clip and I didn't see any painful (for me) proofing errors in the text. (Some earlier reviews mention a bunch of errors, but I think they must have been fixed.) It's a very fluffy story and very unrealistic as far as being true to Regency times, but it's enjoyable for a brain candy romance and a Kindle freebie. This is the third in a series but worked fine as a stand-alone read.
Content note: squeaky clean, other than some veiled references to Henry's wild ways in the past and some not-so-veiled threats by the villain ("you'll sleep with me and do whatever I want, haha" kind of thing)....more
2.5 stars. This is a Victorian era romantic soap opera, with all the drama, self-sacrifice and long-windedness that implies.
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Written in 1873 (I2.5 stars. This is a Victorian era romantic soap opera, with all the drama, self-sacrifice and long-windedness that implies.
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Written in 1873 (I read it online at Project Gutenberg), The Doctor's Dilemma begins with an uppercrust, frantic young woman, Olivia, escaping from the rooms in London where she's been locked in for three weeks because REASONS, and haring off as far as she can go ... which ends up being the Channel Islands. There she shelters with a friendly fisherman and his aged mother in a remote cottage on the island of Sark.
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One fateful day Olivia slips and falls down a cliff, injuring herself pretty badly. Enter the handsome doctor from the nearby island of Guernsey, and love at first sight. But the handsome doctor is also engaged to a cousin of his, which was a major thing to try to upend back in that day. Also the doctor soon realizes that Olivia is the nameless woman that he saw a newspaper ad for, by someone trying to find her. Sinister or good? He doesn't know. What he also doesn't know is that Olivia has other secrets she hasn't shared ...
Not badly written, for its day, but MAN, does this novel take the long and winding road to the expected ending. Maybe it was originally written as a newspaper serial? Because I can't think of any other reason (besides Victorian, which admittedly does explain a lot) for it to be so lengthy. I have to admit I skimmed most of the second half of it.
Recommended only if you really like old-fashioned romance and don't mind if it’s a super-slow burn....more
Kindle freebie Regency romance, March 3, 2020. Indie author, but if you like old-fashioned Regency romances it's worth a look. I've read about 4 of heKindle freebie Regency romance, March 3, 2020. Indie author, but if you like old-fashioned Regency romances it's worth a look. I've read about 4 of her other books over the years and thought they were pretty decent. ...more
Kindle freebie romance time again! 3.5 stars for this one - I'm rounding up because I'm giving an indie author the benefit of the break here.
Esther FoKindle freebie romance time again! 3.5 stars for this one - I'm rounding up because I'm giving an indie author the benefit of the break here.
Esther Fox is an orphaned young woman living with her well-meaning but fairly indifferent stepbrother and his wife. Her only relative, her brother Isaac, is on the Continent fighting Napoleon's armies. When she ends up in not one, but two, somewhat compromising situations with an old friend of her brother's, Silas Riley, an earl, he decides he needs to protect her reputation and announces to all and sundry that they're betrothed. (Silas was already attracted to Esther so it wasn't too tough of a choice for him).
Esther is already highly sensitive about being a burden and being told what to do by others, so Silas's somewhat high-handed actions rub her the wrong way, and she doesn't feel like she really belongs with him, his friends, or in his world. And so we have a couple in a marriage of convenience who are attracted to each other but having a hard time understanding the other's personality and needs, and aren't doing the best job at communicating with each other. And then another unexpected tragic event makes life for Esther and Silas even more difficult.
Most of the book revolves around their personality conflicts and lack of understanding. It got a little slow and bland for me at times, and I wasn't entirely onboard with Esther's issues relating to interpersonal relationships. But their characters are well-drawn and the book was reasonably interesting and well-written. Recommended if you like the squeaky-clean Regencies (kisses only, and those were pretty chaste)....more
3.5 stars. Sarah Eden, a well-known author of clean historical romances, shifts gears in this unusual twist on the genre: a cat-and-mouse game between3.5 stars. Sarah Eden, a well-known author of clean historical romances, shifts gears in this unusual twist on the genre: a cat-and-mouse game between Elizabeth Black and Fletcher Walker, two Victorian era authors of “penny dreadful” novels.
[image] Victorian-era penny dreadful novel
They really were a penny! And in all likelihood the writing was dreadful too, although I understand the dreadful part is actually referring to the scary villains and monsters that usually populated these thriller-type books. :)
Fletcher is trying to unearth the identity of a “Mr. King,” who’s overtaken Fletcher as the best-selling author of penny dreadful novels. It’s not just pride; Fletcher, who was once a street orphan himself, needs the money to help fund his secret organization of men committed to helping rescue and educate London’s street children. (What exactly Fletcher and this organization plan to do about Mr. King, other than maybe ask him to join their group, isn't entirely clear. It sort of seems like they have something ominous in mind but ... maybe not?)
Anyway, Fletcher asks Miss Elizabeth Black, headmistress of a respectable girl’s school and author of “silver-fork” novels, to help him track down Mr. King - never dreaming that Elizabeth IS Mr. King. Besides the socially-approved silver-fork novels, she has a fondness for writing the more sensational penny dreadful novels ... and plus they make her way more money, which she ALSO needs to help fund her girl's school. Elizabeth, determined to keep her secret from him - it would ruin her socially and professionally if it became known - agrees to “help” Fletcher, really intending to mislead him. Hah!
There's a subplot about people devoted to trying to improve the lot of poor children and teens in London (spoiler alert: the villains who prey on the poor take exception to having their schemes interfered with) and just a little romance, complete with the trope (view spoiler)["I'll resist falling in love with you and hurt your feelings by avoiding you with no explanation, because I'm not good enough for you" (hide spoiler)].
These chapters about Fletcher and Elizabeth alternate with chapters from the pulpy novels that the two of them are currently writing, in which monsters of various types abound. It’s occasionally a bit slow, the main characters are almost too altruistic to be true, and the other characters are pretty one-dimensional, but overall it’s a fun and quite different kind of book if you like light historical romances. I enjoyed seeing how the chapters from Fletcher’s and Elizabeth’s penny dreadful novels tied into the main plot ... especially when it happened on purpose. :)
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you!...more
These Timeless Romance anthologies are like a box of chocolates. Hershey's, though, not See's or Lindt.
Each of these stories is based around a[image]
These Timeless Romance anthologies are like a box of chocolates. Hershey's, though, not See's or Lindt.
Each of these stories is based around a road trip. My ratings and comments for each of the six:
3.25 stars for "What Falling Feels Like" by Jolene Betty Perry. An interesting take on post-high school meetup of the popular girl and the younger nerdy guy who had a crush on her. Now Kendell (the girl) is divorced and recovering from hard times, bad decisions and a user of an ex, while Tyler is the hot guy inclined to make her regret dissing him back in high school.
3 stars for "Antiques Road Trip" by Sarah M. Eden. A fun read for non-hardcore Jane Austen fans, in the form of a TV reality show contest in the context of acting like you're in Regency times. Well, sort of. It's more like Austenland. It's a sweet-hearted tale, as most of Sarah Eden's are, but a little shallow and not really memorable.
4 stars for "Wouldn't it be Nice" by Ranee` S. Clark. Jaqueline dumps her boyfriend Colin, who's been continually putting his journalism career ahead of their relationship. She takes off on their planned road trip without him, and meets up with her best friend's brother Hudson, who's been in love with her for years. Off with the old and on with the new! ... or is it? Sort of a love triangle-ish story, but avoids most of the pitfalls. I enjoyed it.
3 stars for "Head Over Heels" by Annette Lyon. Singles blogger Tristan meets an interesting guy named Mac at Salt Lake Comic Con (before it was renamed FanX), at a speed-dating event. When she suddenly needs a quick ride from SLC to Las Vegas, her good friend sets her up to do the road trip with MacKenzie. Haha. Fun meet-cute and gender-twisted names, but otherwise I'm not going to remember this one either.
3.75 stars for "Two Dozen Roses" by Heather B. Moore. A mother-daughter road trip up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) accidentally synchs up with a similar road trip of two brothers ... both of whom are interested in Dayna. The brothers, Garrett and Roman, have a LOT of baggage, and that extends to their romances. Will she choose the flirty guy who's charming her mother, or the quieter brother?
2 stars for "Try, Try Again" by Aubrey Mace. Sarah's dream comes true when her co-worker Justin suddenly breaks up with his girlfriend, announces that Sarah is the girl of his dreams and kisses her. But when she freaks out a little and asks for more time, Justin backs way off and disappears from her life. Did she make a mistake that can't be undone? A road trip (which she ropes her very pregnant girlfriend into joining her on) to Justin's grandfather's funeral in another state might be the way to show Justin she really wants him. Maybe. Sarah blew hot and cold and kind of drove me (and her girlfriend) batty. And her deciding to crash the funeral viewing in another state when they both still live in the same city was a head-scratcher for both me and Justin.
You always know what you're getting with these "Timeless Romance" novella collections, but I always seem to buy them when I see them on a 99c sale. They're harmless and sweet, nice palate cleansers between other heavier reads, and sometimes they're really appealing. This particular collection, with six novellas by different clean romance authors, wasn't one of my favorites, and none of the stories REALLY grabbed me (in a good way), but it's not bad if you like this kind of light contemporary romance reading. ...more
A witty, intelligent contemporary romance with more heart than usual. Emily, fresh off breaking up with her slightly boring boyfriend, immerses herselA witty, intelligent contemporary romance with more heart than usual. Emily, fresh off breaking up with her slightly boring boyfriend, immerses herself in an online flirtation with (let me get this straight) her roommate’s brother’s good friend, Jack. Jack is in Oregon and Emily’s in San Francisco, so Emily’s comfortable knowing this is just for fun. Or is it? But Jack is hiding some secrets...
99c Kindle sale, June 3, 2019. If you like sweet historical romances, a Kindle sale on a Sarah Eden novel is definitely worth taking note of. It’s par99c Kindle sale, June 3, 2019. If you like sweet historical romances, a Kindle sale on a Sarah Eden novel is definitely worth taking note of. It’s part of a series, but readable on a stand-alone basis (which is what I did).
Set in a small Wyoming town in the late 1800s, this novel deals with some serious themes, the difficulties of going blind and the historic hatred and prejudice between the Irish and the English. It lightens that with a good dose of humorous banter and the importance of family. And I have to admit it brought tears to my eyes a couple of times. 😭 In a good way....more
3.33 stars. A pleasant, short Regency romance, very loosely based on Beauty and the Beast. I mean, the Baron is a grumpy guy (but handsome; whatever b3.33 stars. A pleasant, short Regency romance, very loosely based on Beauty and the Beast. I mean, the Baron is a grumpy guy (but handsome; whatever beastliness there is, is solely internal), and the girl, Rose, comes to live in his mansion and be his servant and, eventually his friend. Oh, and Rose loves books. But that's about it for the fairy tale connection, so if you're into fairy tale retellings, don't get your hopes up here.
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Rose Sinclair has fallen on extremely hard times, with her father in prison because his gambling addiction led to unpaid debts. Rose was the manager and bookkeeper of the family bookstore (sold to pay some of their debts). She musters up her courage and asks the Baron, Henry Covington, to let her handle his books. He's appalled by the idea - some of the money her father gambled away was Covington's investment with him - but her sad story and teary eyes lead him to offer her a job ... as an undermaid. With no home and nowhere else to go, Rose accepts.
It's a very rough job - especially since the main housekeeper hates Rose and the other servants resent her - but Rose starts to adjust. And of course she and Henry start to connect and overcome their differences. But ... there are Complications.
It's a cute, sweet romance novella. Nothing really new going on here, but fine to download as a freebie if you like this sort of pleasant, fluffy little diversion....more
One of the worst Kindle freebie romances I've had the dubious pleasure of downloading, and that's saying something. Both of the main characters are idOne of the worst Kindle freebie romances I've had the dubious pleasure of downloading, and that's saying something. Both of the main characters are idiots who blow hot and cold, and the writing is so clunky it was painful.
I started squinting at it after a chapter or two and ended up skimming through the rest of the book, just to see how it all played out. When I finished I even went to the trouble of going to Amazon and permanently deleting this book from my Kindle files, so I can forget about it as soon as possible and never ever be reminded of it again. ...more
Kindle freebie romance time again! Nineteen year old Christine Devon, raised in the country and enthusiastic about horses, is on the verge of making hKindle freebie romance time again! Nineteen year old Christine Devon, raised in the country and enthusiastic about horses, is on the verge of making her debut in London society. Her hardhearted widowed father is counting on her making a match that will benefit their family. But her social graces are lacking despite her beauty and intelligence (a little improbable, but just roll with it), and she becomes aware of it after stepping in it at a couple of neighborhood parties. More improbably, she lands on the idea of asking Thomas Gilbert, a handsome young man she knows, to help her be a better conversationalist. And, oh yes, a better flirt too. Let's not forget that!
As they secretly meet for Christine's social lessons, the inevitable (in romance novels anyway) starts to happen. But there's a major barrier: Tom is DEFINITELY not wealthy or titled enough to satisfy Christine's father.
The Social Tutor has a draggy start ... and middle ... and I was starting to skim ... but it picks up nicely toward the end. The writing is decent for a self-published book, but there are a few noticeable spelling errors, like "his son poured over their records" (it's "pored"). It does get bonus points for using - not once, but twice - my favorite misspelling in Regency romances: "ring a peel". Bells peal, oranges peel!...more
Heads up on a Kindle freebie, April 2, 2019, if you like sweet romance novellas. This one has six short contemporary romances, all with a "romance on Heads up on a Kindle freebie, April 2, 2019, if you like sweet romance novellas. This one has six short contemporary romances, all with a "romance on vacation" theme. They're not deep but I like popping these down like candy when I'm in the mood for a little bit of fluff.
If I call them palate cleansers instead of brain candy does that sound more impressive? :D
Update: Finished. These are sweet romances with old-fashioned values (religion never gets mentioned, but socially and morally it seems clear that these characters are religious). Only a couple of them gave me the romance feelz, which, why else am I reading this fluff? so I just wasn't that enthused overall. The best romance feels for me came from Heather Moore's "Picture Perfect."
The stories:
3.75 stars for "Moonlight Kiss" by Josi S. Kilpack. Sarah, the single mom of a 6 year old Downs Syndrome daughter, has been messaging Clint, a guy in different office of her company in another state. They plan to meet up at the company retreat in Cozumel, Mexico. But Sarah hasn't told Clint about her daughter yet, and is the suave Clint the right match for her? Verdict: heartwarming but predictable (view spoiler)[from the moment you meet Clint's co-worker Mark (hide spoiler)]. A nice story about priorities and being yourself.
2 stars for "Chasing Tess" by Annette Lyon, about a newly minted law graduate and his long-suffering girlfriend of 3+ years. James was a tool (thoughtless and taking Tess TOTALLY for granted, and overly influenced by his class-conscious parents) and Tess was a doormat until they both had their respective Come to Jesus moments, which, okay, fine. But (law-related rant here) my head was exploding because, who does an internship after graduating from law school? No one, that's who. At least in my experience, you get an actual job offer, conditioned on your passing the bar. Not just an internship. Plus most firms - especially NYC big law - are VERY unlikely to make such an offer unless you've already spent a summer working for them during law school (which is a "summer associate" job, not an internship. Internships do exist but they're more for pre-law students or for course credit).
3 stars for "Dancing at the Flea Market" by Heather Justesen. Mara meets Carter, a widower who's still having a hard time dealing with the loss of his wife. That's ... pretty much the plot in a nutshell. And that's all I have to say about that.
2.5 stars for "The Best Laid Plans" by Sarah Eden. Madison bails on her vacation with friends to Cancún because her mother has texted her that she's seeing a new man, "Mr. Fabulous." Because her mom's relationships (beginning with Madison's father) are ALWAYS bad news, Madison feels compelled to rush back to her home town and ... try to torpedo the new relationship before it gets off the ground? Whatever, girl. And then she finds out Mr. Fabulous is the uncle of Derek, the ex-boyfriend she can't forget. Minus a star (or more) because Madison is such an idiot and her actions and motives were totally unbelievable to me. I mean that literally: I couldn't believe her as a character.
4 stars for "Picture Perfect" by Heather Moore. Gemma gets dumped by her boyfriend of two years, cuts her hair short and dyes it, and takes off on vacation with two of her old high school friends. Little does she realize that one of these friends, Drew, who's always been in the friend zone, has something more in mind. This is the one that had the best kissing scene so, plus points for that!
3.25 stars for Aubrey Mace’s "The Science of Sentiment." Rose has never forgotten Kevin and his fantastic kisses ... but Kevin broke up with her a year ago. When Rose goes to her grandfather's Park City cabin in the mountains for a weekend getaway, guess who's already there? Kevin's still a tease, but Rose can't figure out what he has in mind. Second best kissing scene! So some plus points, but minus points because it's pretty unclear why they broke up in the first place (and he never really apologizes for that) or why they should expect that issue to be different now....more
3.75 stars for this collection of six Valentine’s Day-themed contemporary romance novellas. Some of them are very quick and fluffy, but there’s some s3.75 stars for this collection of six Valentine’s Day-themed contemporary romance novellas. Some of them are very quick and fluffy, but there’s some surprising depth in a few of them. My thoughts on all six novellas:
3.5 stars for "A Brush with the Law" by Janette Rallison: Bethany is an artist who's painting a mural on the bedroom wall for a couple who's out of town (the husband is planning to surprise the wife with it). It's also Valentine's Day, and Bethany has a blind date that evening that she's not all that excited about. The maid leaves and tells Bethany the doors will automatically lock up behind her. When Bethany gets accidentally locked out on the balcony, things start to get REALLY interesting. A cute but no-nonsense cop is involved. It's a little predictable (I saw it coming from a mile away) but good fun, especially if you like comedies of errors.
3.5 stars for "Every Occasion" by Heather B. Moore: Maurie has moved back to her hometown after her mother's death and bought a space to open up a shop, and moved into her mother's old home - which was an absolute mess. Maurie's mother, it turns out, was equally a mess and had lost custody of her daughter to state, and Maurie spend some years in the foster care system before aging out. Grant - her former teenage crush - is the guy who, as a teenager, called 911 and reported Maurie's mother, which resulted in the custody loss. He's been feeling guilty about it ever since, and he's not sure what to do when he's called to help Maurie with some remodeling work. Can this star-crossed pair work things out? Another one that's predictable, but props for taking on a different and difficult plot element in the loss of custody issues. Arguably it pulls its punches somewhat ((view spoiler)[Maurie had a far more positive experience in her foster home than I think is typical (hide spoiler)]).
3.75 stars for "Hold Your Breath" by Jenny Proctor: Here we have a couple of talented swimmers with Olympic dreams, Kayla and Nate. They've both run into some bumps in the road on the way to (they hope) the Olympics, and Kayla is now determined that NOTHING else will get in her way, especially not a relationship with a guy. She's been down that road before. But Nate is charming, and it's hard to resist the temptation ... Again, an unusual setting for a romance. That's the most memorable part of this story, which focuses a bit too much on Kayla's negative motivation (i.e., fear of getting involved in a relationship), but I still enjoyed it.
3.75 stars for "The Ultimate Bachelor Challenge" by Annette Lyon. Sam is sure that her long-time (and currently long-distance) boyfriend Steve is about to propose, and she wants to be ready for it. So off she heads to the all-night laundromat to wash her favorite outfit for the great occasion. Connor is the guy she runs into on her excursion, an internet personality who has his own issues going on with a Valentine's Day series of challenges from a despised online rival.
4.25 stars for "Deal Breakers" by Heather Tullis: Colette and Drew are two people with a past, accidentally meeting up in a snowed-in Denver airport while they're both on a layover, waiting to fly off to other places. Drew and Colette dated years ago in college, but she dumped him for another guy who was paying her a lot of attention (view spoiler)[and who turned out to be a jerk (hide spoiler)]. By the time Colette realized she'd made a mistake in college, she and Drew had drifted too far apart. I enjoyed the unusual airport setting of this novella, and the relationship and dialogue between Colette and Drew felt realistic.
4.25 for "Hey, Helen! by Sarah M. Eden: Great story about next-door neighbors (friends-to-lovers trope) and issues with problematic parents. Helen writes an advice column called "Hey, Helen!" Neil is her buddy in the apartment next door, an accounting student who Helen bounces her ideas off of. He's also trying to figure out how to get out of the friend zone with Helen, but he's worried about risking their friendship. Things get trickier when Neil's father, who has a rocky relationship with his wife (and with his son Neil) moves into Neil's apartment uninvited when he and his wife are on the outs. This is one of the better novellas I’ve seen from Sarah Eden. The banter between Neil and Helen is good, and Neil's struggles with his relationship with his parents adds some heft to the story.
Recommended if you like these kinds of quick, clean romance reads. You know who you are. :) Some of them feel a little rushed or superficial (typical with novella length). More serious themes than usual show up in the subplots of these novellas, so they feel less fluffy and more significant than usual with romance novellas....more
Kindle freebie Regency romance, of the sweet and clean variety. If you’re a fan of Edenbrooke and ingenue heroines, give this one a try.
3.5 stars. I Kindle freebie Regency romance, of the sweet and clean variety. If you’re a fan of Edenbrooke and ingenue heroines, give this one a try.
3.5 stars. I do think it borrows too many plot concepts from Edenbrooke (which this author read and rated 5 stars). You have a young, goodhearted heroine whose mother has died, sent off on a lengthy visit to someone else's home, where she meets an attractive man who (it's clear to everyone but the heroine) is very interested in her, but she's determined not to return the interest because a beautiful and more confident relative of hers (a cousin in this case) has prior dibs on him ... you get the idea. The main differences are that the hero here is harder to warm up to than Phillip in Edenbrooke (I think he's intended to have a bit more of the stand-offish Darcy vibe to him) and Abigail, the heroine, is carrying a deep, dark secret that she doesn't want anyone to know. There's also a fun character in the form of the hero's married sister, who connives and jumps through all sorts of hoops to try to get her brother together with Abigail.
Even if it's derivative, it was charming reading for a light, sweet Regency romance. Recommended only to those who love this genre and aren't too hardcore about period accuracy. It's self-published and I caught a few grammatical errors (example: "Though her and Mother were sisters ..." Yes, I am a grammar stickler), but overall the writing quality was pretty good.
And I'm happy to report there was no twirling....more
Kindle freebie romance time again! In this contemporary romance novel, Sierra, who's been living in NYC for several years and has a serious boyfriend Kindle freebie romance time again! In this contemporary romance novel, Sierra, who's been living in NYC for several years and has a serious boyfriend there, gets called back home to South Carolina to help care for her aunt Bennie, who took care of Sierra after her mother died. There Sierra runs into Dalton, her ex-boyfriend - literally at first (in a rental car, hah) but then their paths keep crossing again and again, with maybe a little help from some friends. And Sierra can't retreat back to NYC because Bennie, in addition to having serious knee trouble, has also gotten herself into major financial trouble, and is far behind on her house loan, and Sierra feels like she can help with marketing Bennie's upcoming theater production to help Bennie make a profit.
This is billed as having a Jane Austen connection, and it is there, but it's pretty slight. The plot actually owes a lot more to the Reese Witherspoon movie Sweet Home Alabama. If reading a slightly different version of that movie's plot sounds like a great time to you, have at it! This is still free last time I checked.
I downloaded this and whipped through it in a couple of hours. It was okay, but the characters never really pulled me in and the plot felt overly familiar.
Content note: some minor Christian elements to the plot (overcoming personal weaknesses with prayer and God's help)....more
Kindle freebie romance time! This is a good one to grab if you like Regencies and marriage-of-convenience stories of the non-steamy variety. MOC talesKindle freebie romance time! This is a good one to grab if you like Regencies and marriage-of-convenience stories of the non-steamy variety. MOC tales are so contrived but there's just something about them that's appealing to me.
For a change of pace, this one has an older couple, both widowed, as the main characters. (Even though this is fourth in the series, I didn't have any trouble reading it as a stand-alone, though the author does that thing a few times where the story weaves the main couple from a prior novel into a plot with a brief reference to their past history.)
Lady Virginia Macon was just widowed three months before the story began, and her husband's younger brother - the dastardly villain of our story, boo!hiss - is taking legal action to try to get custody of her two young sons, so he can control their lives and the older son's inheritance. The court seems to be on his side since he's a man, but apparently all will be cured (at least from a legal point of view) if Virginia can find herself a new husband of the gentry.
Enter Lucas Calvert, the Earl of Annesbury, whose been widowed for several years. He still mourns his late spouse, as does Virginia, but given the problems with the brother they very quickly decide to foil his plans by marrying. Lucas finds himself with a wife he's very soon quite attracted to, along with two young stepsons who aren't at all sure they're ready for a new father figure, especially the older son.
It's leisurely paced but the main characters are well-drawn, with a few (minor) flaws and hangups to make things interesting. Virginia's two young boys are intelligent but not annoyingly precocious; they were a good addition to the story.
Jacob's review is great if you want more analysis; I totally agree with everything he says....more
Kindle freebie romance time! This is a charming, light Regency romance, in the Georgette Heyer style. It’s fairly standard as RR’s go except for one tKindle freebie romance time! This is a charming, light Regency romance, in the Georgette Heyer style. It’s fairly standard as RR’s go except for one truly major difference: the hero, Ethan Brundy, is a lowborn man who’s risen to great wealth. He doesn’t fit in at all in high society, with his common speech and ill-fitting clothes. He's pleasant-looking, but not really handsome.
But when Ethan sets eyes on Lady Helen, the elegant and sharp-tongued daughter of a duke, he falls instantly in love and determines to marry her. She, on the other hand, is absolutely appalled by the idea, but her father the duke has managed to gamble away his entire fortune, and Ethan’s offer looks to the duke like a Godsend.
Recommended (especially if it’s still a freebie) if you like this sort of read.
Content notes: clean. Some use of the Lord's name....more
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽
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