Tag: amreadingromance

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#BlogTour: Second Chance Romance by Carol Mason

For this blog tour, we’re looking at . For this blog tour, we’re looking at Second Chance Romance by Carol Mason.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (Hardcover.app / BookHype.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Nothing Technically Wrong, Yet Much Many Won’t Like. In my review of Mason’s earlier book, Between You And Me, three years ago last month, I noted that Mason managed to craft a tale “with particulars that I’d never seen done quite this way before, and that is always something I seek out and love to find”. That remains true in this tale, seemingly her first attempt at a more lighthearted romcom after several books more in the domestic thriller/ women’s fiction space.

And while the particulars are at least somewhat new – while also being a hodgepodge of other ideas and characterizations well known in the romance space in varying forms – it also becomes quite clear that Mason is new to writing within this particular space, as she has the basic formula down quite well… and yet, there is much here that those looking for a truly mindless and hilarious “beach reach” romcom won’t find here at all.

To be clear, this book absolutely has its moments of hilarity. It also has at least habanero level spiciness… in a form that many will consider potentially offputting (but is also well known in *ahem* “certain video circles” *ahem* to be quite popular therein). And the book’s locations, in coastal California, Santorini, and even the historic areas of Athens (Greece, to be clear, vs Athens, GA, home of my beloved University of Georgia Bulldogs) are shown well… yet don’t seem to “hit” quite as well as others within the space. It also has moments of stone-cold seriousness, including when we find out our male lead’s “deep dark secret” – and here is yet another point that will be divisive for some, but which I felt was handled in a very realistic manner.

Indeed, perhaps one of the more difficult aspects of this tale is that throughout, it can never really decide if it wants to be a romcom or a “serious women’s fiction” type tale… and sadly, the combination of both comes across as disjointed enough to detract from each, rather than enhance each.

This is a book with no actual objective-ish reasons to deduct stars or not recommend, and yet it is still a difficult book to classify and really find an audience that will clearly love it – which is a shame, because Mason has shown herself to be a talented storyteller in prior efforts, and even here shows quite a bit of that talent… in fits and spurts.

So read the book for yourself and see if you can help me sort it out.

Recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Second Chance Romance by Carol Mason”

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#BlogTour: The Backtrack by Erin La Rosa

For this blog tour, we’re looking at an atypical tale in a lot of ways that still works quite well. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Backtrack by Erin La Rosa.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (Hardcover.app / BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Atypical Tale In So Many Ways Yet Everything Works Well. I’m actually listening to the playlist that plays such heavy role in this book as I sit down to write this review, and while not *everything* is to my own tastes, either back in 2005 or 20 yrs later in 2024 as I write this, the songs are not *so far* out there as to not be enjoyable, particularly given the characters in this story and where they are from. (Says the fellow native Georgian who is less than a decade older than the characters here. :D) As an example, Fall Out Boy and The Offspring? Yes please. 🙂

But that actually does get into parts of what La Rosa does so well with this tale – the interesting spin she puts on the now-classic “flashback” sequences absolutely work, and work to allow effectively a romance version of a “Frequency” type story. Meaning, for those unfamiliar with that particular movie (to be clear, I never saw the TV show reboot), this storytelling device basically allows La Rosa to tell a dual timeline romance… where *both* timelines are the same couple *yet*… multiverse theory. (Which, to be clear, La Rosa never mentions.)

While we do get some dramatics in the third act, they actually serve more of a women’s fiction purpose that also helps to flesh out both our female lead and some of those around her a bit, and even with limited “screentime” in some instances, La Rosa manages to pack quite a bit in here in a short space. Indeed, given the book’s overall just-over-300-page length, it is actually rather remarkable just how much story La Rosa manages to pack in here, particularly given how other authors even within the romance space can spend seemingly 100 pages describing the landscape around the characters.

Ultimately this was a fun book that had a lot of nostalgia and several interesting spins on now-classic concepts and it used all of this well in service of the story it was trying to tell. In the end, using the elements you bring in well in service of the story you’re trying to tell is really all I ask of *any* book.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Backtrack by Erin La Rosa”

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#BlogTour: Made For You by Jenna Satterthwaite

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a quasi scifi tale that leans more heavily on the murder mystery and reality tv components. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Made For You by Jenna Satterthwaite.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (Hardcover.app / BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

For Some Reason I’m Having A Tough Time Writing This Review. I finished this book 5 days ago as I write this review. I’ve read three other books (that I also need to write reviews for) since then, and for some reason there’s just nothing flowing for this book.

To be clear, there is nothing technically wrong with this book. It is solid, with perhaps a misstep or two.

I think what it comes down to, for me, is that the most interesting question in the description: “That is…if Julia truly is a person.” doesn’t really feel as explored as I think I wanted it to be. And I don’t know if that is on me as the reader or Satterthwaite as the writer. I don’t know if it was that I was wanting a harder probe or harder questions or more forceful thinking on the subject or some such, or if Satterthwaite really did do more telling than showing or perhaps not enough telling to make me really think deeply philosophically as maybe I was hoping to be forced to or what.

Ultimately, more time was absolutely spent of the murder mystery/ reality TV side of the tale than the synth side, even as the synth side plays key roles and is genuinely interwoven with the other components of the tale. So if you’re looking for a more reality TV/ murder mystery tale than a scifi synth tale… yeah, this one may work better for you.

Perhaps most damning, particularly for a debut – although perhaps one that was never meant as a series starter – is that I’m also not sure whether I would want to come back to this world or not. I’m sure that I think Satterthwaite has done enough here that I’m willing to read the next book and see if she grows as a storyteller with more experience, I’m just not sure with what she leaves us with here if I necessarily want to come back *here*. Although if that is in fact where her sophomore effort brings us, I’m absolutely going to be back for the ride.

So read the book for yourself, reader of my review. And maybe tag me in your own review so I can see if my own questions are *me* or if others are having similar difficulties with this book?

Recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Made For You by Jenna Satterthwaite”

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#BlogTour: Forbidden Girl by Kristen Zimmer

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet featuring the lesbian daughters of Boston mafiosos. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Forbidden Girl by Kristen Zimmer.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (Hardcover.app / BookHype.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Romeo And Juliet. But Lesbian. With Mob Families. In Boston. Without Suicide. Seriously, that’s most of what there is to this book, without going too deep into spoiler territory (as many other reviews have done, to my mind). Will this book be a Shakespeare level classic, nearly single handedly redefining literature for centuries to come? No. Is it an interesting spin on a tale that *did* do that? Yes. And honestly, for that reason alone it is one you should read.

Now, one flaw here that didn’t quite raise to the level of a star deduction, but does deserve to be mentioned, is the casual misandry of the text. It is one thing to be a feminist and want equal treatment for both sexes – an ideal I too share. But when you go so far as to be so overtly bigoted against either sex… you’ve stepped too far, and this book does that a fair amount. Again, not so pervasive as to warrant a star deduction, but often enough that a discussion in the review is warranted.

Overall, an interesting spin on a beloved classic that does enough blending of classic tale and modern stylings to be entertaining on both levels. Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Forbidden Girl by Kristen Zimmer”

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#BookReview: Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams

Story Tries Hard But *Just* Misses + Story/ Cover Mismatch. This is one of those reviews where the review and rating may not seem to align, because for the vast majority of this book, I thought it was pretty damn good. It does a LOT – even more than similar Soraya M. Lane books usually do – and *for the most part*, it does those things quite well. We’ve got a romance tale in the 2000s era New England that alternates between 2022 (current) and 2008 (the halcyon summer where the couple first fell in love). We’ve got a historical fiction tale that alternates between the 1952 Great Cairo Fire/ Black Saturday period and early WWII period. Either one of those tales could be an entire book in and of itself, and yet we’ve also got a 23 And Me type DNA mystery that links the two (and which admittedly is a spoiler mentioning, sorry). I’ve read many entire books that would use any one of those three elements to tell an entire tale, and yet we get all three tales in one book here. And *for the most part*, it all works.

Where it fails, and the cause of the first star deduction, is that the climax of the Cairo tale is rushed and its fallout effectively buried in service of the New England romance and 23 And Me mystery. This book could have been *so much more* with maybe as little as 10 extra pages flushing out the Cairo tale in 1952 rather than the 2022 manner in which we get that information, and I think this is a close enough to objective opinion to merit a star deduction here.

The other star deduction is one I don’t encounter often, but *have* done a time or two before, and is warranted here for the same reasons I’ve used it before – the stories told here and the cover as it exists at publication (June 25, 2024) do not match. At all. The 1952 tale in Cairo -the era this cover screams to me – doesn’t really have even a pool scene at all, much less one involving a diving board. Even the 2000s era tales don’t actually involve any real pool activity, again particularly with a diving board. There are some ocean/ beach scenes that play key roles, but that isn’t what this cover evokes. Even in tone, this cover leads the reader to believe that this will be some 1950s era glam tale of some form… and it isn’t, not really. Yes, the Cairo tale is played as “exotic”… but that isn’t the tone I get from this cover.

So a lot of words, maybe too many words, to say that you really do need – as one 2* reviewer also noted – to read the description of the book to really know what you’re getting into here, and judging this book by its (admittedly great looking, in and of itself) cover may get you into a bit of a letdown situation with this particular book.

Overall, I actually really, really enjoyed this book. I thought it did a lot, and for the most part did well on damn near all of it. It simply lacked execution in a final detail and needed a cover that ties to the story more than the current one does.

Very much recommended.

This review of Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams was originally written on June 28, 2024.

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#BookReview: Rules For Second Chances by Maggie North

Aspiring Autistic Author Accomplishes Astounding Act of Adoration. Ok, so that was a very painful and forced alliteration by an Autistic reviewer that actually gives an idea of what this book may be like for at least some non-Autistic readers.

Personally, I found that most of this book worked quite well – it does in fact have the far-too-common tacked on baby-in-epilogue that always leaves a sour “aftertaste” for me when the book never really mentioned even wanting kids in its overall story, but other than this quibble the book actually does work well as a story of both finding oneself and rediscovering the love one had for one’s partner along the way. But part of what made it work so well – if perhaps a *touch* stereotypically – is that North worked in so many real-world examples of what life as an Autistic in the corporate world can truly be like at times, particularly as it relates to understanding others and working to be understood by them.

The emphasis on improv comedy and its “Yes, and” philosophy is a driving force in the overall narrative here and yes, perhaps is very nearly a crutch/ preachy at times about the philosophy and its purported benefits, but again, within the overall structure of the story as told… eh, *every* such story has some overarching narrative device, this one simply happens to be improv.

Overall this was a solid debut effort in the romance space, and absolutely leaves me wanting to see more from this author – which is the number one (or maybe two, after sales of this book itself) goal of any debut book. So in that regard, it did its job quite well indeed. And for those looking for “diverse reads”, again, here’s a neurodiverse author for you to give a shot!

Very much recommended.

This review of Rules For Second Chances by Maggie North was originally written on June 26, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Sometimes One Shot Really Can Change Everything. This is one of those tales where it should have been over from the very beginning – these two people are just *so* broken by their lives to this point that it *shouldn’t* work…

And yet it does, because this is a romantic comedy and that is the very *purpose* of romantic comedies, to give the rest of us hope that something like this *can* work – even in our own completely broken states. And hell, *particularly* when the book is meta enough to actively make *that very same point* within its text. (Helped by the overall plot of… actively writing a romantic comedy movie. 😉 )

Yes, some of the things that both characters do are horrible. Yes, perhaps some (or even much) of this tale doesn’t or even can’t happen in real life. Well, again as pointed out within the text here, neither can zombies or space aliens or some such… and yet people love those movies for somewhat similar reasons as to why they love romantic comedies.

So sit back and enjoy the ride and the feels. If you have to turn your brain off and enjoy the spectacle for sheer spectacle, *do that*. But don’t criticize a book that many will truly love and find catharsis in over your own hangups. Particularly don’t review bomb something just because “that can’t really happen”. *Particularly when one of the main issues in the book is exploring how reality doesn’t really apply in romantic comedies, including this one.*

Overall a strong tale with complex and complicated characters, with a lot of laughs, some smiles, and even a few dusty room scenes to boot. Come in expecting to laugh and perhaps wet your eyes a bit, and you truly won’t be disappointed here.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center was originally written on July 11, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley

Solid, If A Touch Generic, Beach Read. You know those tales where you go into it knowing roughly what is going to happen from the get-go, but also knowing you’re going to enjoy the experience because you know this type of tale and know nothing too shocking or controversial will be a major plot point? In other words, a somewhat Hallmark Movie type plot, but more on the women’s fiction side and featuring multiple storylines in one?

Yeah, this is pretty well exactly that, in coastal Cape Cod + NYC as the “big city”. Solid enough to be a solid, inoffensive choice for lounging at the pool or on a beach reading while relaxing as the kids make a fool of themselves in the water… in other words, fairly idyllic “summer read”. And what do you know, positioned to release right at the beginning of the “summer season” in the US, just over a week after Memorial Day and when many – particularly more Yankee-area – schools are getting out of school for the summer later that week.

So if this is the kind of tale you’re looking for – and based on the Hallmark Channel’s success, clearly there is a fairly substantial market for this type of tale – then you’re going to enjoy this one and it is pretty well going to be everything you expect it to be. For those looking for something with more teeth… look for some of my other reviews, wherever you may find them. 🙂

Very much recommended.

This review of The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley was originally written on May 31, 2024.

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#BookReview: Pity Parade by Whitney Dineen

More Dusty Rooms Than Usual. This is one of those romcoms where guys are going to encounter more dusty rooms than usual, and women may outright cry more than usual. Because Dineen does one character in particular so unbelievably well, we truly *feel* this character’s motivations – and hesitations.

Which, perhaps, makes up for what for at least some readers will be a cancellable offense for Dineen, who has this character make a joke that… well, there are many out there today who won’t find the joke funny and yes, will probably/ likely call for her cancellation over it. Me, apparently I’m going to Hell right there with Dineen, because I thought it was one of the more hilarious moments of the book, and there was enough contrition later (indeed, bordering on preachiness, which is perhaps a step *too* far) that it *should* mollify most critics of it.

Overall though, another solid entry in this series that technically *can* be read as a standalone, though significant events play out in the book immediately before this one in this series that directly impact the story here, and are referenced frequently in this story. But for those who don’t mind mild spoilers of other books, eh, this one could truly work standalone.

Truly a fun, shortish (at under 300 pages) romcom, perfect for a breezy summer afternoon relaxing… just watch out for the dust. Very much recommended.

This review of Pity Parade by Whitney Dineen was originally written on May 31, 2024.

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#BookReview: No Place Like Home by Barbara O’Neal

Twenty Year Old Book Holds Up Well. First off, to be clear: This new (2024) edition is an updated and revised (with apparently *some* new content) version of a book originally released over 20 years ago. So some of you may have already own/ have read this, and I know there are at least some out there who “only read new releases”. But for everyone *else*… this is still a damn good story, 20 years later.

In at least some ways, it is actually a callback to a different era, the era of RENT when friends dying of AIDS was still a major zeitgeist moment and a reality for many, particularly many in urban areas. (I say this because growing up in the exurbs of Atlanta in the era the book was originally published, this just wasn’t a reality that was seen much in my area.) This plotline provides both some of the gravitas of the book – addiction being the primary other source – and the meetcute – the male lead is the brother of the friend dying of AIDS.

The romance side of the book is also well done, granted with a lot of lust and pent up sexual frustration as its start and with quite a bit of bedroom action (not always in the bedroom) throughout – once things get going there. Which, again, will be a turn off for some and a selling point for others.

Ultimately, this is a story of a lot of flawed individuals making their way through life as best they can in the situations they find themselves, and this is where the story particularly shines.

Very much recommended.

This review of No Place Like Home by Barbara O’Neal was originally written on April 13, 2024.