Eat Your Heart Out by Shirley Goldberg

July 13, 2021 By 5 Comments


Eat Your Heart Out by Shirley Goldberg
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Rose

When a tyrant in stilettos replaces her beloved boss, and her ex snags her coveted job, teacher Dana Narvana discovers there are worse things than getting dumped on Facebook. Time for the BFF advice squad. Alex—hunky colleague, quipster, and cooking pal extraordinaire is Dana’s staunchest ally. So what’s with the smooching after hours? And why won’t this grown man make up his mind?

Actor turned teacher Alex Bethany craves a family of his own. Newly hotified, he’s now got the confidence to try online dating. Meanwhile he’s sending Dana mixed messages in the kissing department. After a surprising event rocks his world, Alex panics, certain he’s blown his chances with his special person. Funny and bittersweet, Dana and Alex’s story will have you rooting for them all the way to dessert.

What a fun, relatable story!  I love these characters – and can honestly say I’ve known people like all of them, the good, the bad, and the ugly. And, I think that’s what makes this book so appealing. The characters are all real. They aren’t perfect. They are just like our friends.

As a … ahem… woman of a certain age, I can definitely relate to Dana and her struggles – with dating, with food, with balancing life and work, with having friends. I want to be a part of her gal pal squad!

I also love the friends to lover trope. It has to be one of my very favorites!

This is part of a series, but it is easily standalone. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Goldberg has in store for the rest of these friends!  4 stars.

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When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

July 12, 2021 By Leave a Comment


When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
Publisher: Jove
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her stepsister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one of her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished.

Beautiful, brilliant, and reckless, Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends—women in a Seattle-based online investment club—for answers. But what they find is chilling…

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Max Cutler enjoys his work as a PI even though his first career as a profiler for the FBI – along with his marriage and the home he’d made for himself – all went down in flames during his last case. When he agrees to take on a client who insists his cousin’s death isn’t what it looks like Max meets Charlotte and together they discover the unusual link between Charlotte’s step-sister’s mysterious vanishing and Max’s suspicion, death. Soon they’re working together, each determined to find some answers.

Jayne Ann Krentz has been a staple of my reading material for more years than I’m comfortable remembering. This book really brought home to me just how amazing she is as a writer, because over the years (gulps: decades!) she has continued to grow and thrive in her writing style. She has always been an exceptional writer but I found this book really exceeded even my own high expectations.

For example – this book had a good number of strong, varied and interesting secondary characters (the investors group of four friends, the nursing home residents and Max’s family as just a few). Whereas there is almost always some secondary characters to help flesh out the world and situations – I thoroughly enjoyed that this book really had a higher than usual number and yet the quality and interest in this large group remained high. I also really enjoyed how the plot wasn’t linear – numerous threads all wove slowly but steadily together and the story-telling around this and weaving the pieces together was not just artful but entrancing to me.

As I admitted above I’ve been a fan of Krentz’s for ages, but like all relationships it ebbs and flows. Some books hit the mark better than others and while they’re all good – there are different levels of “good”. I adored this book and it really hit a number of my “excellent” buttons so I rate this book above a number of her other recent works. Now sure, there are the usual tropes which are as comforting and enjoyable as they are predictable – Charlotte is smart, savvy and has a “crash and burn” relationship in her near past, Max has his own issues and a far bigger “life-altering moment” in his past and they each are dealing well with their respective histories and baggage. They’re both strong characters, attracted to each other but cautious of getting burned again and focused on the mystery and task at hand – all the usual tropes. But that doesn’t detract (for me, at least) one inch from the enjoyableness of the story, and for sure it doesn’t lessen the intensity of their characters or the situation at all. Indeed the comfort and known quantity of these aspects helps me enjoy the tension and weaving of the multiple plots more than if I was trying to grapple with their character and objectives. I know this style of characters and can enjoy the plot and circumstances more because I’m not questioning or catching up on other parts of the story.

Readers who love a fairly traditional style of romantic suspense should definitely give this book a whirl. If you haven’t read Krentz before you can pretty much look into anything of her backlist in the last 10-15 years and chances are good there’s a number of decent stories there awaiting your perusal. Krentz is a go-to for me for solid, enjoyable, believable and interesting romantic mystery/suspense. This is definitely one of my favourites though they’re all of a high quality. The romance is a slow-burn and while the bedroom door is left open the focus of the romance is more emotional and Charlotte and Max connecting and working their investigation together with a bit of bedroom sizzle thrown in – this is not an explicit or heavily graphic romance story, but a solid mystery/suspense with a good dash of romance woven in and balanced well.

A solid and thoroughly enjoyable read, I was delighted by this and can heartily recommend it.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan, Eilidh Beaton (Narrator)

July 12, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan, Eilidh Beaton (Narrator)
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, HarperAudio (Publisher)
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

A grand baronial house on Loch Ness, a quirky small-town bookseller, and a single mom looking for a fresh start all come together in this witty and warm-hearted novel by New York Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan.

Desperate to escape from London, single mother Zoe wants to build a new life for herself and her four year old son Hari. She can barely afford the crammed studio apartment on a busy street where shouting football fans keep them awake all night. Hari’s dad, Jaz, a charismatic but perpetually broke DJ, is no help at all. But his sister Surinder comes to Zoe’s aid, hooking her up with a job as far away from the urban crush as possible: a bookshop on the banks of Loch Ness. And there’s a second job to cover housing: Zoe will be an au pair for three children at a genuine castle in the Scottish Highlands.

But while Scotland is everything Zoe dreamed of—clear skies, brisk fresh air, blessed quiet—everything else is a bit of a mess. The Urquart family castle is grand, but crumbling, the childrens’ single dad is a wreck, and the kids have been kicked out of school and left to their own devices. Zoe has her work cut out for her, and is determined to rise to the challenge, especially when she sees how happily Hari has taken to their new home.

With the help of Nina, the friendly local bookseller, Zoe begins to put down roots in the community. Are books, fresh air, and kindness enough to heal this broken family—and her own…?

I honestly don’t know where to start, what to share and how to avoid spoilers. To say this is a busy story is putting it mildly. My mind is blown, my emotions and feelings are all over the place because there are so many reasons to smile, cry, worry and grin. There are parts where I could feel my eyes widen, my jaw drop and my breath stall in my lungs from suspense. There are so many details to all the personalities that star in this novel. The fact that I spent 11 hours listening over two and a half days, at work, late at night, right after breakfast, basically every chance I got tells you how involved I was in the story of Zoe and her little son, Hari. I didn’t know what to expect when I took a chance on this book. I’d never heard of the author before and that’s my loss. I am wowed by this novel.

The narrator has a voice I had to get used to. I did though and now I’ve come to believe that Ms. Beaton’s voice is absolutely perfect for the characters of Ms. Colgan’s characters, especially Zoe, the heroine, and Ramsey’s son, Patrick. The narrator has some other gems throughout but I’ll let readers, if they listen to the book, discover that charming point for themselves.

Here’s the problem with listening to a book instead of reading – I have no idea how to spell some of the names and I don’t want to get it wrong so I’m going to have to describe people through their roles or some such. Bear with me. Patrick is Ramsey’s youngest, Mary is the second oldest and the eldest son has a name I would probably spell wrong. Out of all the hero’s kids, I think Patrick is the most adorable, outgoing and just plain cute. His relationship and effect on Hari is one of the strong elements in the book and one of my favorites. The two were thick as thieves and a delight to read about. I believe Ms. Beaton’s narration was spot on for those two.

Mary’s character is a hard one. That child has issues – serious issues that caused me heartache on her behalf, and is involved in the few scenes that affected my emotions the most. Zoe’s influence is one of the paramount reasons that what happens to Mary is so powerful and important.

Ramsey’s eldest son isn’t quite as prominent as the other two, but Zoe’s gentle guidance took this sullen, internet-gaming young man and turned him into a person with confidence, goals and helped him discover a grand new passion through which he experiences success, joy and a possible path to a career. I liked that.

I think I’m writing this backwards. Zoe is the main character, a single mom of Hari, and Hari can’t speak yet. He’s 4 years old and hasn’t made a peep. Zoe’s love for him comes through loud and clear. He lucked out when he got Zoe for his mom. His dad, Jaz, not so much. Oh, he loves the little tyke, but … there’s a reason Zoe and he never got married. And yet, I didn’t dislike Jaz. He’s irresponsible, yes, but he truly loves his son and I consider that a redeeming quality.

When I first meet Zoe, the author paints a very scary picture. The heroine is in dire straits and things don’t look good. She gets a helping hand from Jaz’s sister and that’s how the whole story in Scotland starts up. True, when I first started listening to the story, I got a little confused about who was who in which chapter, but that confusion didn’t last long. There is a significant reason the author wants readers to meet certain players early on. Readers need to understand what is going on in Zoe’s life, why she takes the jobs that were offered sight unseen and they need to meet the people that mattered in that stage of her life. Here’s another unusual aspect of the book – it has four parts and each part has a ton of chapters. It’s like the author tells Zoe’s and Hari’s story in stages – as a crisis point or major plot twist puts the heroine on a new path, each path becomes a section of her life and that’s why I think the novel is formatted in this manner. It is different, that’s for sure.

When I listed the genre as contemporary fiction, I did not add romance to the list. There are romantic elements, yes, but the book doesn’t really focus on a romance between Ramsey and Zoe. That just happens as Zoe’s influence heals everyone in the house, and that includes the housekeeper. It was nice to see it happen but the focus, the whole story is about Zoe dealing with the hand life has dealt her. It’s showing a reader how she herself heals while she patiently works with all of the hero’s children, meeting each challenge as they come, with compassion, firmness, stubbornness, a gentle grace and love. However, Zoe’s interactions with adults prove to be a bit more challenging. The dialogue comes in fits and starts because she initially is extremely nervous, downtrodden and at the lowest point in her life. That’s at the beginning. By the end of the book, Zoe has come into her own, and she’s a woman a reader can cheer for, care about and be happy for. This novel is basically her journey towards being the strong, confident, and beloved woman she becomes.

Oh my goodness, there is so much more I want to say, to share, to really impress upon readers of this review that The Bookshop on the Shore is worth reading. I mean it. It’s not a fluff read because the author also tackles some hard topics, like what happens to a child that is emotionally traumatized and does things to harm themselves or others. It’s handled with competence, respect and love. Then there is the truth about what really happened to Ramsey’s wife. The townsfolk bandy about lots of rumors and conjectures but don’t believe any of them. The truth is a lot more tragic than any could guess. Yet, it also opened my eyes to what a wonderful person Ramsey is, in his own quiet, few-worded way.

I’ll stop here. I mean, I didn’t even get to mention the evil chicken, the possible sighting of Nessie, what triggered Nina’s contractions to go from 0 to 60, the storm, what happens with the books – see what I mean? This novel is amazing – it’s like a whole world and I felt like I was living it with Zoe. I don’t know if it’s because of the skill and talent of the narrator bringing Ms. Colgan’s words to life or what, but if readers haven’t discovered this heartwarming tale, and are fans of stories that engage a reader on a deeper level, then this book is a must read. Oh, and the HEA is as unusual as Zoe’s life. I couldn’t figure out if it was really a happy ever after or a happily for now. I guess you’ll have to read it and decide for yourself. It does satisfy though because it wraps up with a surprising twist that bodes well for all the people I’ve come to care about.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Ten Beautiful Things by Molly Griffin

July 9, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Ten Beautiful Things by Molly Griffin
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A heartfelt story of changing perspectives, set in the Midwest. Ten Beautiful Things gently explores loss, a new home, and finding beauty wherever you are.

Lily and her grandmother search for ten beautiful things as they take a long car ride to Iowa and Lily’s new home with Gran. At first, Lily sees nothing beautiful in the April slush and cloudy sky. Soon though, Lily can see beauty in unexpected places, from the smell of spring mud to a cloud shaped like a swan to a dilapidated barn. A furious rainstorm mirrors Lily’s anxiety, but as it clears Lily discovers the tenth beautiful thing: Lily and Gran and their love for each other.

Ten Beautiful Things leaves the exact cause of Lily’s move ambiguous, making it perfect for anyone helping a child navigate change, whether it be the loss of a parent, entering or leaving a foster home, or moving.

Kindness makes everything better.

Lily and her grandmother had such a warm and loving relationship. I appreciated the fact that the narrator focused on what a big change it was for a young child to move in with her grandmother instead of explaining to the audience why this was necessary. Leaving that background detail up to the audience’s imagination meant that this story could appeal to children who need to adjust to living with new legal guardians for any number of reasons. What mattered was that Lily was frightened by this move and that her grandmother had come up with a clever way to help and comfort this girl.

One of my favorite scenes happened early on when the grandmother asked Lily to come up with ten beautiful things as they drove home. The protagonist was skeptical of this idea for understandable reasons, but what happened on the next page instantly endeared me to both of these characters. It was simultaneously delightful as well as something that felt realistic and natural for the plot.

It was also delightful to see how these two characters learned to agree upon what should count for their list. They took a creative approach to filling out certain portions of it. Not only did that work nicely for the storyline, it also made perfect sense based on how Lily was feeling about all of the transitions in her life. I appreciated the fact that the narrator continued to acknowledge the mixed emotions in this child while also gently encouraging her and the reader to look forward to better days.

Ten Beautiful Things was a remarkable tale that I’d enthusiastically recommend to readers of all ages.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , ,

Illusion by Aurelia T. Evans

July 8, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Illusion by Aurelia T. Evans
Publisher: Totally Entwined
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Mistletoe

Arcanium’s greatest illusion is that there’s any illusion at all…

When an old flame returns to Arcanium in the company of her own magical circus, Illumina, offering an alliance, Bell initially considers the merger an opportunity for much-needed change.

However, with Illumina comes Maya, who has lost her memories not just of Locke’s Arcanium but all her time with Bell—love, guilt, wishes, everything. Having her memories removed leaves Maya with too large a gap in her mind that she’s desperate to fill, and she knows that Bell, of all the people in Arcanium, can give her the information she’s missing.

Bell still loves Maya and spends every day trying to atone for the pain he caused her and the rest of his cast. In spite of her frustration, she’s happiest without him, without the memories that once nearly destroyed her. If Illumina is to become part of Arcanium, he has no choice. He has to keep his distance, because she doesn’t know why she should run as far away as she can from Arcanium—and from Bell.

Even so, resisting Maya is almost too much for him to bear.

Once again, we find ourselves in the world of Arcanium where Bell rules and the consequence for breaking his rules are harsh. Yet even Bell has a heart and a conscience. He has learned from his mistakes and works hard at making his circus safe and a happy place for those in it. When an old friend and lover returns to Arcanium with her own cast that includes Maya, Bell must make the hard choice of opening his doors or shutting them. His own heart lays in the choice and he could lose it all over again if he is not careful.

I was both excited and sad to see this book come out as it is the last in the Arcanium series. I enjoyed returning to this world and its characters. As much as I enjoyed this book, there were a few points where the story dragged on a bit too much, and there were characters made to stand out, it seems, just for the purpose of being annoying. It worked. This story brings readers full circle and back to the beginning. It is centered around Bell and Maya of course, and as with all the books in this series, there are major twists and turns.

This book is an interesting way to end the series and the author has made a great world with memorable characters that I fell in love with and hope to see again in the future.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Two Murders Too Many by Bluette Matthey

July 6, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Two Murders Too Many by Bluette Matthey
Publisher: Blue Shutter Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Barn burning in a sleepy farming community is a serious enough matter, but a grisly murder or two in a small midwest town is a showstopper. Throw in a serial blackmailer who has his claws in some of the town’s leading citizens and you have one big recipe for disaster.

Charlie Simmons, newly sworn in as Shannon’s policeman, takes on the challenge of investigating this cauldron of crimes in stride, untangling one thread after another from the fabric of the town of Shannon to find the simple truth.

When I got into what I will call her working story, I found a suspenseful tale full of twists and turns, with blackmail and murder mixed in.

I always have a fondness for a small-town sheriff and this story has one, one that has just been sworn in before the gruesome crimes. Matthey did not craft a slow-minded small-town cop but a good sheriff, well-defined in words and busy with incidents. Probably many more incidents than he ever thought he would have in a small town.

I wasn’t crazy about Matthey’s picture of a small Midwestern town. I suppose because it was personal; we weren’t all interbred in the town where I grew up, or at least I don’t think we were.

I won’t hide that there are some very quirky characters invented in this book. Some fun; some quite irritating. The story kept me turning the pages and for some readers the ending will seem satisfying, for others…they’ll want more. Actually, I bet everyone will want more anyway. It was a good read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Power by Geraldine Anello

July 5, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Power by Geraldine Anello
Truth Series
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Power is Geraldine Anello’s latest poetry book from her series Truth. Power takes heartbreak and turns it into self-empowerment. The most inspiring poetry told over the course of just one week, this fast-paced collection of deep thought-provoking poems leads the reader on a journey to personal development.

Love has many faces.

One of the things I appreciated the most about this collection was how it focused on the quiet little moments in a romantic relationship. Something as simple as listening to a partner breathe can be romantic if it’s approached with the right frame of mind. It was delightful to slow down and savor these glimpses of love that are beautifully ordinary.

There were multiple times when I wished these poems were more detailed. For example, “Casualty” spoke of a protagonist who had been badly hurt by his or her ex-partner. The anger of the speaker bled through perfectly well, but I couldn’t help but wonder whether the pain they felt was physical or emotional in nature. It could have been interpreted in so many different ways that it sure would have been nice to have a clearer understanding of what was going on. This was a pattern that repeated it so often I felt the need to give a lower rating than I might have done so otherwise.

With that being said, there were times when the minimalistic nature of the author’s writing style worked beautifully. “Moth to a Light” was a good example of this. It was written from the perspective of someone who kept attracting new partners only for them to realize that the speaker wasn’t necessarily the best person for them to spend time with. I enjoyed getting to know this character and seeing the world from their unique perspective.

Power was a thought provoking collection that I’d recommend to anyone who appreciates romantic poetry.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Craving Tara by Lila Fox

July 5, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Craving Tara by Lila Fox
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Since her mom became sick, Tara’s had to work hard, even doing things she never thought she would consider in order to pay the bills.

Soon after meeting Traeger, the sexy and broody VP, she agrees to come live with the Devil’s Sons MC and cook for them. She moves to the clubhouse, but she’s unsure if it’s the right place for her. While her mom is being taken care of by professionals, Tara needs to find out where she fits in.

Traeger takes one look at Tara and knows she’s his. He just has to get over the guilt of his last girlfriend’s death to move on with Tara. Can he make peace with his past before he loses his chance at love again?

Tara had needed to quit her regular job when her mother got sick, needing to earn more money with less hours left her with only the one option – stripping. While she adored dancing, she hated how tiring it was and how little she enjoyed the stripping. Still, she was determined to do everything she could for her mother. Traeger had been devastated when his previous girlfriend had been killed right in front of him. For years, no one else had stirred him since that moment until he met Tara. Innocent but strong, self-conscious but full of fire she drew him and Traeger almost felt as if he was ready to try again for something as difficult and painful as love.

I really enjoyed this longer length MC story. Tara and her bff Amelia are interesting and modern women who are both in difficult situations but don’t let the stress of their positions drag them down too much. I particularly enjoyed how while there was attraction between Tara and Traeger (and Amelia and Fury) neither women just rolled right over and jumped into bed with their respective men. They all took some time to interact together and try to adjust to their new positions and lives before making a commitment or delving into something that would have been painful and messy to undo. It helped me as a reader to get a bit more comfortable with their respective situations and allowed me to see the depth of friendship and genuine love between Tara and Amelia as they both navigated their new and rocky romantic relationship with their respective men.

I also felt there was plenty of conflict and tension in the plot – Traeger still feels guilt a number of years later about the murder of his previous girlfriend, which was a different and really interesting plotline for me reading an MC romance. I also thought while a little predictable, the club whores being so antagonistic to Tara and Amelia added a good bit of tension to the story as well.

While the sex was hot and intimate I was pleased that Tara and Traeger both clearly became emotionally connected to each other and it wasn’t just purely physical. Readers looking for a spicily hot, explicit MC style of romance novel should find this really suits their purposes. I enjoyed the other guys in the club and even thought the author did a good job introducing what I expect might be the next story’s heroine toward the end.

With realistic and interesting characters and plenty of steamy sex this is a great read and a story I really enjoyed.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Collector of Things & Other Poems by Riya Aarini

July 2, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Collector of Things & Other Poems by Riya Aarini
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Collector of Things & Other Poems is an illustrated collection of light verse for children. Featuring whimsical characters, like Millionaire Montgomery and the Bigalaboo, this collection of over one hundred humorous poems is sure to inspire bellyfuls of giggles!

Sometimes the smallest things in life turn out to be more important than anyone would have imagined.

One of my favorite themes that was explored here had to do with how we should all respond to people who are different from us in some way. “Country Twang” talked about a farmer who pronounced certain words so similarly that no one could tell which one he meant. What made me smile as I read this was how gentle and accepting the narrator was of his uncommon speech patterns. His accent was one of the unique things about him, and the audience was encouraged to embrace him exactly as he was. This theme continued on with entries like “Long Underwear,” in which Benny Blare insisted on wearing long underwear everywhere he went. That’s the sort of message I love seeing, especially when it’s written for impressionable kids who might be confused by someone who speaks a little differently from others or who dresses out of the norm for whatever reason.

There were some poems that I wasn’t sure many children this age would understand due to their subject matter or the open-ended way their final lines were written. For example, “Sweet Deal” discussed a kid named Lou who agreed to eat all of his meals if candy was the only thing he was expected to eat. The premise was adorable, but the final lines were so vague about why his deal didn’t go through that I’d expect to need to explain them to the little ones in my life. “Conversation,” a poem about gossip, was another example of this. It’s point was once again hinted at but never outright stated. The pattern repeated itself with other poems, too. This technique works well for adult readers, but it’s not something I think is as effective for kids who are still such concrete thinkers.

With that being said, there were moments of pure delight in this book. “Contagious” appeared early on and it made me rethink my understanding of that word in the most lovely way. Without giving away too many hints about that one, diseases aren’t the only things we can catch from each other! “Chocolate Sea” was another winner in my opinion. The title was beautifully descriptive and the sea itself sounded like my version of paradise. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by chocolate, after all? The author was at her best when she took common words or phrases like these and examined them from angles that most people wouldn’t think to use.

Collector of Things & Other Poems was a whimsical collection that I’d recommend to poetry fans of all ages.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Cowboy’s Fairy Tale by Jessie Gussman

July 2, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Cowboy’s Fairy Tale by Jessie Gussman
Sweet Water Ranch Western Cowboy Romance Book 6
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

He’s the billionaire heir of Sweet Water Ranch. His family is throwing a ball and he must choose a wife.

She’s too poor to attend the ball as a guest. But she can go as the hired help.

One magical dance and a case of mistaken identity later, and nothing is as it seems.

If he backs out, he loses everything.

She never had anything to lose to begin with. Other than her soul-mate.

Will he choose love over a multi-billion dollar business and the biggest ranch in North Dakota? Can she let him give up everything for her?

If romance fans enjoy the Cinderella trope for their heroine, then this author has written a book filled with all the best parts to entertain her readers.

In this version, there is the step-father, two step-sisters and a younger half-brother. The yoke of responsibility that tethers Nell to her family farm is her half-brother, Vinton. Her love is so strong that it carries her through the times that would break a less determined person. Her respect and adoration of her deceased mother, and her guidance and advice while she was alive, buoys Nell up when she needs it the most. It’s said that the meek shall inherit the earth, but being meek doesn’t mean a person doesn’t stand up for themselves. It means they have an inner strength that a lot of people can’t fathom, and when something is really important, they step up to the plate with dignity and stand for what they believe in. They choose their battles with wisdom. Nell wouldn’t believe that of herself, but that’s what I saw. It may not come out until the end of the novel, but again, that’s when it counts the most and the author made sure readers would cheer for her heroine when the time came.

Ryder is the hero with a lot riding on his shoulders. He’s rich because he worked hard and is dedicated to what he does – so dedicated that it cost him in his first marriage. The author has the hero growing emotionally and in maturity during the course of The Cowboy’s Fairy Tale so that clarity comes to him. It takes getting to know Nell and Vinton to show him the way and I enjoyed watching all those baby steps and seeing how they guide him.

There were secondary characters of import besides Nell’s step-sisters. There is Roxie, Ryder’s sister, and then there’s Michelle, a character I didn’t like at all. I’m sure that was the point, and the author created an effective plot conflict using Michelle’s conniving and manipulative actions as she aimed to get what she wanted. I think that’s also where I had a hard time in the book. The angst got to me. When a certain scene came up, I knew exactly what was going to happen and I despised that eye-roll moment but I couldn’t help myself. I got that feeling of “oh, come on!” and I couldn’t take it. I walked away from the story for a bit. But, I had to come back; I had to know how the happily ever after could overcome what was going to transpire. I have to give the author credit, it didn’t play out exactly as I expected. It was much more devious than that. So, when Nell decided it was time to make her move, to finally stand up for what was of the utmost importance, she didn’t disappoint. She did it with dignity while wearing a fashion statement that is sure to never be forgotten. It was a little over the top, but then again, what Cinderella-themed trope isn’t? It wouldn’t work otherwise.

The happily ever after does occur but again, not quite in the way readers may expect. That fact makes this book stand out. It’s not expected perfection, but it is perfect and in line with what I enjoyed in the previous story, The Cowboy’s Convenient Marriage, and it’s what makes The Cowboy’s Fairy Tale well worth reading. And, just like the previous book I read, the author includes a hook in the epilogue to get a reader interested in the next story. I believe it’s about Clay, a/k/a Preacher. He’s a nice guy and he’s helped the heroes and heroines in previous stories so it sounds like he’s overdue for his own HEA. It’s something to look forward to, that’s for sure.

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