This is a very bland three stars for me, maybe more of a two and a half. Keep in mind that I am not a huge fan of Christian romances, so take my review with a grain of salt. Not really liking the genre is a huge bias.I requested the galley because of the blurb that it was about a baker with diabetes who could never eat more than a bite of her creations. I thought this was very clever, and could work as a metaphor for forbidden love or love that is ultimately bad for you, or a million other typical romance scenarios. I was extremely disappointed that Emma Rae's diabetes have almost nothing to do with the story.
I had forgotten that this was billed as a Christian romance when I began reading this, at first the mentions of God and the redeeming power of prayer felt natural and I went with it, then they got more and more to the point where I skipped over those parts. When I read Christian romance it is mostly mail order bride and homesteader stuff because I like those plot points and I will read them however I get them, so it is clear that my taste is not in Christian contemporary. Had the religion been kept to the two main characters and a pastor character, then perhaps I would have accepted it, but as the book goes on, every single character, including the goth girl, is a devout Christian who prays constantly for their friend's welfare.
The cooking and business aspects of the book were fun and interesting, I loved watching this hotel be built from the ground up (not literally, the building is in place) and I liked that the hero and heroine were friendly and comfortable with eachother for the most part. They appreciated each others skills and hard work.
The lists and recipes and other filler material threw me out of the story, and I think the book would be much stronger without cliched lists of popular bridal favors. Blech.
(I received a free electronic galley from NetGalley. This has not biased my review in any way)
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Amazon
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Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
December Reviews!
Finally, I can post some December reviews!
I honestly can't explain why I enjoyed this book so much other than the fact that it was engaging. Describing the book, it is a series of steps and numbers and seemingly boring repetition of tasks that are done to get the apple trees profitable. But in reality, the reader is drawn into the book and eager to see what happens next, eager to root for Jackson and his young family members. As a young reader, there's definitely something appealing in seeing children run a proper, profitable business. Looking back, I wouldn't be able to tell you what age Jackson is off of the top of my head, nor do I remember when it takes place (They listen to "Thriller" on the radio, but that was the only clue I can remember, whether of not an actual year was in the text), but I do remember enjoying this greatly.
Goodreads
And....
LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
THE BOOK I HAVE BEEN EXCITED TO RECOMMEND!!!
His Christmas Pleasure by Cathy Maxwell (romance)
As much as Abigail loves her parents, she is not willing to marry the man they chose for her. Twice her age and thirteen children? No thank you. Luckily, she has a tidy little inheritance and has caught the eye of a man who truly needs it; Andres, the Barón de Vasconia. Andres and Abigail elope, neither one pretending emotions are involved, but both promising to try to make this a real marriage.
That is what I loved about this book. There were no (real, important) lies, neither pretended it was a love match but neither doing that romance cliche of "I love him but we decided it was a marriage of convenience only so now what do I do, woe is me". At every point, they are considerate and caring of eachother, eager to back down unselfishly if the other needed it. It is almost surprising how little these things happen in romance novels, often the plot of the book hinges on the hero being hard headed or the heroine too shy to reveal her feelings. While the passion and tension between these two was sizzling, I was mostly enthralled by the amount that the couple acted like basically decent human beings who deserved love and worked for it.
It doesn't hurt that the whole thing was swoonworthy!
Goodreads
I received free electronic galleys of these books from NetGalley. This did not bias any of my reviews in any way.
Taken by Desire by Lavinia Kent (romance)
A regency of the wealthy independent woman who ends up marrying someone due to an indiscretion variety...
Romance novels are very personal, what appeals to one reader does nothing for another, so I am always unsure of myself when reviewing them. Taken by Desire didn't have any of the plot elements or character types that I normally gravitate to, so while I give it the 3/5 stars that indicate my "finished reading it, didn't hate it, wasn't too impressed either", it very much falls into "your mileage may vary". Ms. Kent is a talented writer, but this book didn't charm me or make me swoon. I was drawn in by the beginning which had a lot of promise and then the story went where I wasn't expecting and I wasn't as excited by.
At one point, the hero acts unreasonably and comes very close to the point where I decide "hero is a jerk, dont bother reading any more" but then the hero actually begins to LISTEN to the heroine so I did finish it.
Wicked Nights With a Lover by Sophie Jordan (romance)
When Marguerite is told that she will not survive to see the next year, she decides to throw caution to the wind and live the rest of her time to the fullest. Since I loved Montogmery's The Blue Castle, I thought that this would be a new interesting take on it, but it quickly went in a different direction.
I have enjoyed Sophie Jordan's work before, I am a great rereader but few romance novels make the cut. Ms. Jordan's "One Night With You" does, unfortunately this one does not. This is a clear case of "romance novels are very personal" since the writing is good and neither the hero nor the heroine acted insanely stupid or insanely arrogant and unreasonable. I'm not a big fan of the "kidnapper" plot device. If you are a fan, then you will likely enjoy this one.
The Year Money Grew on Trees (childrens, YA)I honestly can't explain why I enjoyed this book so much other than the fact that it was engaging. Describing the book, it is a series of steps and numbers and seemingly boring repetition of tasks that are done to get the apple trees profitable. But in reality, the reader is drawn into the book and eager to see what happens next, eager to root for Jackson and his young family members. As a young reader, there's definitely something appealing in seeing children run a proper, profitable business. Looking back, I wouldn't be able to tell you what age Jackson is off of the top of my head, nor do I remember when it takes place (They listen to "Thriller" on the radio, but that was the only clue I can remember, whether of not an actual year was in the text), but I do remember enjoying this greatly.
Goodreads
And....
LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
THE BOOK I HAVE BEEN EXCITED TO RECOMMEND!!!
His Christmas Pleasure by Cathy Maxwell (romance)
As much as Abigail loves her parents, she is not willing to marry the man they chose for her. Twice her age and thirteen children? No thank you. Luckily, she has a tidy little inheritance and has caught the eye of a man who truly needs it; Andres, the Barón de Vasconia. Andres and Abigail elope, neither one pretending emotions are involved, but both promising to try to make this a real marriage.
That is what I loved about this book. There were no (real, important) lies, neither pretended it was a love match but neither doing that romance cliche of "I love him but we decided it was a marriage of convenience only so now what do I do, woe is me". At every point, they are considerate and caring of eachother, eager to back down unselfishly if the other needed it. It is almost surprising how little these things happen in romance novels, often the plot of the book hinges on the hero being hard headed or the heroine too shy to reveal her feelings. While the passion and tension between these two was sizzling, I was mostly enthralled by the amount that the couple acted like basically decent human beings who deserved love and worked for it.
It doesn't hurt that the whole thing was swoonworthy!
Goodreads
I received free electronic galleys of these books from NetGalley. This did not bias any of my reviews in any way.
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