Synopsis

Audrey is curvy and she is proud of it. She is not going to turn down a pastry to be in a smaller dress size.

Duncan is attracted to Audrey, but he has a difficult time convincing her that she is his type.

Opinion

This is your typical big-girl-with-self-esteem-but-the-hot-guy-could-not-want-me story.

Audrey rebuffs Duncan’s advances because she does not think she fits the image of what a girl who dates an earl would look like. She thinks that he will just break her heart when he is tired of her.

Of course in the end, Duncan has to make an enormous gesture to prove his love.

The story is like a cream puff, sweet but not very filling. There was not a lot of substance to the story; nor was there much character development. It was still a fun story. While it might seem to be fantasy, there is a certain aspect of it that could possibly happen. Look at Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla.

Should you buy? I am undecided. I think that if the book is on sale, get it. I know. I know. I have a warped view of how much book I should get for my money. I borrowed this book from a friend. I do not think reading it was waste of time, but I think if I had to pay $2.99 for it, I would have passed.

Book details from Amazon
File Size: 379 KB
Print Length: 109 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Wicked ePub (June 7, 2014)
Publication Date: June 7, 2014
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman #historicalfiction

Nov25

The Light Between Oceans

Synopsis

Tom is the caretaker of a lighthouse and lives on an isolated island with his wife Isabel. When a boat appears with a dead man and a baby, Tom wants to report it. Isabel pleads with him to let her keep the baby and raise it as her own. Tom knows it is against the law, but relents since his wife suffered 3 miscarriages.

While in isolation, they can pretend their actions have no consequences. However, once back in tow, it becomes evident that the implications of one act will affect the entire town in some way.

Opinion

The book was well written in an artful way. It was very descriptive but I felt like the book was as tedious as trudging through knee-high snow. For example, when the author described some scenes and I wondered where the story was going. Was this important to the story? Does not seem to be. Does this give me additional insight into the character? Not much.

The pace was so slow, almost sluggish. In the first chapter, they find the baby. Based on that, I thought the story would have move faster than it did. Then the second chapter goes back to the time when Tom first started working at the lighthouse, before he met Isabel. There was so much build up, but the ending seemed rather flat, as if it fizzled out like a lukewarm, stale soda.

While all the characters experience different degrees of pain and suffering, the story was the most tragic for Isabel. Not that Isabel had done anything to endear herself to me, but I felt sorry for her desperate desire to have children. Three pregnancies which ended in miscarriages/stillbirth had to be heart wrenching. She had so much love to give a child, but desperation and isolation made her crazy.

When I started this book, I had no real expectations. I had a feeling that it would not end well since the whole plot line was centered on the consequences of not reporting the missing baby.

What good could come of that?

When I finished, I was not surprises that the story had no winners. While the story was interesting, I did not find that I identified with the characters. Tom had a screwed up childhood and acted as if he did not deserve any goodness in his life. On the other hand, Isabel was spoiled as if the world owed her.

Should you buy? If you like reading emotionally charged books that lean towards being depressing, you will enjoy this book. I could not rate this book higher because I like books with a decidedly happier ending.

Book Details
Paperback: 345 pages
Publisher: Scribner (April 2, 2013)
Language: English

Lowcountry Bribe @hopeclark #southernlit #mystery #whodunit

Oct20

Lowcountry Bribe (A Carolina Slade Mystery Book 1)

Synopsis

Slade is a South Carolina Agriculture Department manager in the low country. She deals with handling loans to local farmers. When a farmer tries to bribe her, Slade follows rules on reporting, but things do not go as expected.

Wayne is a Federal investigator special agent assigned to the case.

The bribe was in the beginning and now it seems that Slade’s life is in danger. Together, they have to figure out how to eliminate the threat while dealing with governmental bureaucracy.

Opinion

I enjoyed this book for a 3 main reasons

1. It was fast paced. From the moment Slade was propositioned, there was some sort of action happening.

2. I knew a lot of the locations where the action was taking place. I am acquainted with the area because I go down to the low country area often to go to the beach and buy seafood. It made the story more realistic.

3. I could relate to some of the bureaucracy that Slade was up against. In the story, it seemed like an exercise in “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” And then it did.

It was hard for me to rate this story. I loved the plot but I cannot say that I liked Slade as a person. She was very brusque with a gruff, terse manner. However I did feel sorry for her. She tried to be a good wife, mother, and government employee. At the same time, she is an unhappy person. It seemed that everything she tried to do for the right reasons got twisted and things would go wrong.

Since I think that the author did not write Slade to be likable, I feel like I should give “points” for that. Times like this I wish I did half points. I think this is a solid 3.5. Since my rating does not have a 3.5, I gave this book 4 hearts.

I thought there was enough suspense, as I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who was the mastermind behind the entire conspiracy. As the reader, I knew early in story who was the briber but you get the impression that he was not working on his own. The author wraps up the story in a way that satisfied my need for justice.

Notable quotes

“Rules were absolute; that’s the way I was raised. If I followed the rules, I’d be just fine.” – Slade

“Instinct told me to forget the conversation. Federal law told me I didn’t have that option.” – Slade

Should you buy? If you like suspense and thriller, you will like this. If you like Southern literature, especially novels that are set in the Low country, you will appreciate the references in this book even more. I am ready to read the next books in this series to see what else happens to Slade.

Book details from Goodreads
File Size: 1442 KB
Print Length: 274 pages
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books (January 31, 2012)
Publication Date: January 31, 2012
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Book 1 of 3 in A Carolina Slade Mystery (3 Book Series)

Breaking Bailey’s Rules #bailey #netgalley @AuthorBJackson

Oct17

I received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Breaking Bailey’s Rules (The Westmorelands)

Synopsis

Bailey is the baby of the Denver Westmorelands. They are a close-knit family who discovered that they could be related to a family in Alaska.

Walker comes to visit the Denver Westmorelands as a favor to his best friend (the family that might be related to them). Bailey is sent to the airport to pick him up from the airport.

There are rules that Bailey lives by, but Walker might have her breaking all of them.

Opinion

First, I must say that I think Brenda Jackson is one of my favorite romance authors and that is not just because she writes African-American romance novels. Of all of her different series (she has SEVERAL), the Westmoreland series is the best. She had a plan when she developed this family because there are so many siblings and cousins and everyone gets their story. Just when you think the series is over, the family finds another branch of Westmorelands to keep it going. Seriously, if you have not read any of the Westmoreland series, there are enough books to fill a couple of months’ worth of weekends. It more of a saga than a series 😀

Okay now I got that out-of-the-way. Back to the story.

I like Bailey. She may be a little spoiled but that is because she is the youngest of a very tight family where the brothers try to seem chill but are overprotective.

Walker is doing his friend a favor and really likes the Denver Westmoreland guys. He sees the attraction to Bailey as unexpected. Plus his adherence to the “bro code” will not allow him to get physical with their little sister.

Good thing that Bailey knows what she wants and is going to do her best to get it.

Even after reading so many of Jackson’s books, you would think that I would not be surprised by her plot twists. But one of the things that Bailey did in Alaska really surprised me. It had me seeing her with a newfound respect. I went from ambivalent to “This chick is cool!” and “She needs a happy ending!”

While I decided early how much I liked Bailey, I could tell that Walker was being hardheaded. He has a lot of making up to do when he finally realizes that Bailey is the one for him. He does it in grand style. All I can say is that it is good to have friends in high places.

Overall, I loved this book because Bailey’s multi-faceted character added so much the story. If you like the Westmoreland series, this book should definitely be on your list. If you are new to Brenda Jackson, this is a great author and book to add to your list.

Book Details from Amazon

Print Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Harlequin Desire (November 1, 2015)

Publication Date: November 1, 2015

Sold by: Harlequin Digital Sales Corp.

Her Cyborg Awakes #ScifiRomance review

Sep20

Her Cyborg Awakes (Diaspora Worlds Book 1)

Synopsis

Sabralia is one of the many wives contracted to the emperor. As one of the wives, she had a personal cyborg who helped her bath, get dressed, and ready for functions that required her attendance. While she did not treat her cyborg as her sex slave, she allowed herself to fantasize about him.

“He was a machine, of course, but his body was a man’s, fit and smooth skinned.”

After an attack on the planet, Sabralia is forced to flee with her cyborg Qy.

Kaistril (cyborg Qy) has been the personal cyborg of Sabralia for more than 2 years. After the attack on the planet, he begins to remember his life before being programmed as cyborg. More than just a high-ranking officer, he was a good-looking, virile man.

Opinion

After first reading this book, I gave it 3 hearts, but I kept coming back to read it because I loved the story. So, I had to up my rating to 4 hearts.

Sabralia is a woman in bad situation and she knows she wants more out of life but cannot get it. Given as a wife to a dictator for treaty purposes, she tries to keep a low profile to prevent anyone physically assaulting her. She has a serious crush on her cyborg but she does not act on it because it would not be the same as if he was a real man.

Then he is a real man.

“Years of wanting her cyborg to be a man, not a cyborg, made her weak.”

Meanwhile, Kaistril knows what he wants and he likes what sees. He can remember what he saw while he was a cyborg and knew that he had bathed her.

“All those months in the bath teased him, ratcheting up his desire.”

He thought it would be as simple as “We will sate each other, put those longing to rest…”

He should have known that he would be hooked.

I think the overall reason why I liked this book is because Sabralia was not a weak woman. She seemed like it in the beginning; but, really she was a woman resigned to her fate. When things changed, she regained her self-esteem and took control of her destiny. She did not sit around waiting for the hero to save her all the time. She did what she could to be a supportive partner. I can appreciate that in the heroine’s character. At the end of their adventure, they are together for their HEA.

Should you buy? Yes. I have the rest of the series on my TBR list.

Book details from Goodreads

Kindle Edition, 85 pages

Published May 23rd 2012 by Grand Street Publishing (first published February 1st 2009)

series Diaspora Worlds #1

Available on Amazon