Reviews of my Reading List
Review #327
I felt like “The Dictionary of Lost Words” was too slow and gave it a 3/5 stars. There’s some comments below from when I was reading but honestly I don’t have much to say. Here’s the blurb: Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she...
Review #326
Trigger warning for depression and teen suicidal thoughts. I’m rating this unique family drama a 4/5 stars. It’s all in Merit’s point of view in first person present tense narrative. Here’s my live thoughts while reading:Oh the first chapter was divine in so many...
Review #325
I rated this holiday romance a 4/5 stars. I usually don’t think about characters when I’m away from the book, but I did about this one. It dig a spot into my brain. This first person narrative (all in one POV) had heavy LGTBQ+ representation throughout. I’m glad I...
Review #324
I gave this holiday standalone romance a 3.1/5 stars. Well I kind of hated everything about the first chapter. Social media. To hashtags. To magazine covers. To trending clothes. To expensive gifts. To celebrities. To spoiled brats. To pity parties. And the author is...
Review #323
I rated this Nutcracker retelling as 4.87/5 stars. Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar starts with a prestigious family dinner. Marietta, in 1906, is age 20 and apparently needs to entertain her suitors more thoroughly according to her parents. Neither know that she...
November wrap-up
I was very busy doing the final edits on my Linked trilogy this month so I only got around to six books, and let me tell you … I’m in a major reading slump. These reviews were the lowest collectively in quite some time. Hopefully my December picks up. Check out my...
Review #322
I absolutely loved this unique contemporary romance by Ashley Poston. I gave “The Dead Romantics” a 4.9/5 stars. It was written all in one point of view, first person-past tense. Here’s my live thoughts while reading: Florence Day is a ghost writer for a best selling...
Review #321
The cover is breath-taking. But I’m giving this mermaid-esque fantasy novel a 2.9/5 stars. I read the first novel in this series many months ago but I'm immediately overwhelmed by too many names being dropped by page 2. To be reintroduced to all of these all at once...
Review #320
I loved her other YA books but this adult fantasy didn’t quite make the cut for me. I rated it a 2.9/5 stars but I actually skimmed the second half. Here’s my live thoughts while reading: The first chapter of "Spells for Forgetting" was about August returning to his...
Review #319
Well, “The Shadow in the Glass” started out so well but I’d give it a 3/5 stars because I skimmed pages 200-370 to get the gist of it. First of all, I wouldn’t have marketed it as a Cinderella story. Not at all. I agree with the gothic vibe, but none of the...
Review #318
“The Spanish Love Deception” earned a 4.7/5 stars for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary romance with a happily ever after that almost hit too cheesy at the end but not quite. Here’s my live thoughts while reading: It starts out as an office setting enemies to...
Review #317
I’ve been procrastinating to read The Light We Cannot See for 10 months and now I know why. I rated this historical fiction a 2.8/5 stars. I’ve read lots of historical fiction and yes, this one might be more realistic than the others, but it was so boring. It hasn’t...
DNF
This siren fantasy was a DNF for me. So I decided to stop at page 86/388. One of the reasons why is because so want to read stories that model the style of writing I’m trying to achieve in my novels. I don’t want to read too many pages or books that go against my goal...
Review #316
I rated this dark fantasy as 4/5 stars. It’s all written in one point of view in first person present tense narrative. River of Shadows is the first in a series. I can’t really label this as a romance in any way though it’s marketed as “dark fantasy adult romance.”...
Review #315
This witchy sequel earned a 4.8/5 stars. Frances and the crew returns for more mystery, adventure and heartache. I’d definitely like it even a little more if I has reread the first one immediately before starting this sequel. Here’s my live thoughts and comments while...