authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I’ve written so far in Fall 2023. Depending on how many more I do, I may add on to the end, or make a part 1/part 2 deal, we’ll see. Beware of spoilers! Title: The Witchfinder’s Serpent Author: Rande Goodwin Series: The Witches of Windsor #1 Thank you to Rande Goodwin, Greenleaf Audiobooks, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Deadly Vegas Escapade by Anna J. Stewart is a great suspenseful whodunit tinged with romance. What makes the story interesting is how Stewart shows the good side and the bad side to those serving. The hero is of course a military man, but as with some in the military there are those who sell their souls for money. The plot begins with a car chase where Army Intelligence officer Riordan Malloy is forced off …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Lost and Found by Suzanne Woods Fisher has a story that looks at change and how someone faces that change. There are hints of romance, dashes of humor, and some drama. Most of the characters in the story explore difficult choices. There is conflict between the Liberal Beachy Amish order, and the more conservative Amish order plus the conflict between those who want to protect the bird sanctuary of Wonder Lake and those who …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Cowboy’s Fourth of July by Melinda Curtis is the second in the series. What makes the plot interesting is how the dynamics between the characters have changed over the years. The hero and heroine were high school friends with her having the upper hand but as they grew to adulthood the roles reversed. Allison Burns has many responsibilities. She gave up her dream of becoming a singer after becoming pregnant. Now a single …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Each of Foster’s Indiana Summers books—The Honeymoon Cottage, The Little Flower Shop, and The Love Shack (out June 2024)—has two romances in it. The lead characters, and the secondary characters. There’s also a close friendship and a deepening of other relationships, such as Yardley (The Honeymoon Cottage) with Betty, who is the town matriarch; Emily (The Little Flower Shop) with her aunt and uncle. Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Patricia Johns’s books, A Single Dad in Amish Country and Their Amish Secret are both endearing stories. Readers will go through the emotions with the characters from pain and sadness to hopefulness and love. As with all her books people are drawn to each character and their feelings. The plot of A Single Dad in Amish Country has an emphasis on single parenting. Hazel Dobbs and Joe Carter both raised daughters without a spouse. …
Title: Crown of Blood and Glass Author: Lucinda Dark and Rebecca Grey Series: Awakened Fates #1 not a bad premise but bad execution Thank you to Lucinda Dark and Rebecca Grey, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to an ARC eaudiobook in exchange for an honest review. DNF 60%. I stuck with it until the hero forced himself on the heroine just to prove that she did want him, despite her protests. I assume he didn’t complete …
A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Summer 2023. Beware of spoilers! Title: A Fatal Illusion Author: Anna Lee Huber Series: Lady Darby Mystery #11 Thank you to Anna Lee Huber, Berkley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Yazmine Hassan for inviting me to participate in the blog tour; I’m sorry I didn’t get my crap together in time to participate properly. …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The first four books in the Three Springs, Texas series by Cari Lynn Webb will draw on reader’s emotions. They will smile, cry, and take a journey with the characters. The Texas SEAL’s Surprise has Abby James coming to visit her cousin, Tess, in the small town of Three Springs Texas. She is a single pregnant woman whose fiancé cheated on her. She initially meets Wes, the hero, after her car has a flat …
Title: Out of Nowhere Author: Sandra Brown Series: n/a good if not great Thank you to Sandra Brown, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Aspects of this novel might fall short for some readers; they may feel it’s more romance than thriller or mystery, the mass shooting was blink and miss it, the characters were a bit off, Shawna was a cliche, the villain one-dimensional. And to …