The Honeymoon Cottage by Barbara Cool Lee - Narrated by: Elizabeth Siedt

You can find a synopsis of the book on 

Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0190LLDKA/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title 

Audible at this link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/The-Honeymoon-Cottage-Audiobook/B009CZLMNI

Review:

What can I say about this book? It was an enjoyable short read that helped me past the time. However I didn’t really connect with the characters very much. The story line was intriguing but I felt a disconnect between the characters. When I read a story I try to visualize the way the characters look but it was hard for me to get a defining image of them in my head. I also felt the characters weren’t developed as much as they could have been. The ending was cliche. Like I said before it was a read to past the time. As far as the other books in this series goes I’ll have to read their synopsis to see if I want to go on. 

I found this book through my daily email from Robin Reads. It was free through Amazon Kindle and $1.99 for an audio edition through Audible. I downloaded the free ebook and I purchased the audio version. I don’t feel I wasted that $1.99 on the audio book.

I’ve never heard of the narrator before and I haven’t heard of any of her other readings. However, the reading was not bad.

I gave this book 3 stars because it was enjoyable enough for a past the time read for me.

Abducted: Lizzy Gardner, Book 1 by T. R. Ragan

I read this book through my audible app. It was a great read.

My review:

Overall I think it’s a well written story. The main character was well developed and believable. I think the serial killers backstory could have been developed more. When the cause for his mental and social breakdown was revealed I found it a little weak for justifying his behavior. Otherwise I do recommend this book. 

This is book 1 of the Lizzy Gardner Series. From reading the synopsis of the others books in the series they are new cases Lizzy has to deal with but I think the order of progression is more for what happening in her personal life. 

Please check this series out if you are into detective stories. 

I also think Kate Rudd is excellent in her narration of the store.

Long Time Coming by Edie Claire

Yet another book that was decently written but predictable. However, yes the storyline touches on possible supernatural activity it doesn't go overboard. I know this aspect was introduced to give the story a twist but did it really serve its purpose. 

I admit I enjoyed reading this book and practically read it straight through. Yes there were aspects that could be foreseen but that didn't detract from the book for me. 

Yes there are some things in the book I would change because I feel they were not needed. Some characters or situation I think I would omit.

I'm sorry I don't have much more to say about the book. It helped me past the time I need to take to relax but other than that the book was ok. I guess I just expected more from it. 

With that said I liked the fact that the main character was a veterinarian. You don't see that profession used in books very much.

So until the next book.

Yours truly,

The Reader

Six Clicks Away by Bonnie Rozanski

I began reading this book thinking the concept of studying six degrees of separation through social networking was simple enough. I looked forward to seeing what would happen, with the technology we have now and the speed at which it would work. I was looking to have a twist in the story but... I thought that it would be a straight forward read but it turned out to be daunting, very boring and annoying.

 

The story was over written with too many situations the author felt had to be explained in detail by either going back in memory sequences or by showing a different point of view from another character. An example is with the character Raj. You first see him having lunch with an actor named Matthew Boone. Well you go through several chapters with Raj and his family or Rachel and Jeremy and Antara and Marcus then all of a sudden you are back to that lunch table and now the point of view is from Matthew. Just way to much. By the way the chapters are not numbered just listed by location so it is hard for me to go back and say how many chapters occur between the two scenes. 

 

It is hard to explain what annoyed me about this book without giving spoiler details and I do not wish to do that. So I will try to bullet point a few things without trying to give to much away.

 

• There was a love interest that made no since because the characters had no chemistry and the time frame at which this sudden love interest happen was too off.
• There is a business connection that is ridiculous and would never happen. No one would ever friend someone on their social network who is a bill collector, especially someone from another country.
• Another character looking up a past love from when she was a teenager. That in itself is not the problem but after finding out he is married with two children she pursues him trying to rekindle past feelings.
• When has anyone, from another country, working as a bill collector tried to help you improve your finances by contacting someone to help you remortgage your home.
• The time frame at which most of the situations happen is just to fast.
• This one I have to give a small spoiler. A local police officer who says he is from the cyber crime unit comes to Rachel's apartment. First off he never gives his name he just tells her he wants to talk to her down at the station with her laptop but she is not being arrested. Rachel goes with him without question and takes her laptop. He doesn't tell her his name until they are there at the station in a small room and then when he asks to see her computer she gladly shows him. Who does that? 

The connections in this book: (these are the main characters, there are other minor characters)

Jeremy and Rachel - classmates who start the project
Rachel and Julia - Julia graduated from the school Rachel goes to - the connection is minor and brief
Julia and Marcus - former teen sweethearts
Marcus and Antara - debtor and bill collector
Antara and Raj - cousins
Raj and Matthew - producer and actor
Matthew and Julia - actor and writer

It felt like the connections were too forced to move the story along.

I do not recommend this book. Too long, too drawn out, too over written.


Until the next book

Yours truly,
The Reader

The Ivy House by Drea Stein

This book was a nice little distraction. There was nothing spectacular about the book but it was a nice read. The storyline was predictable. Even thought I read straight through this book it wasn't a memorable read. If you want a distraction to past the time then yes go ahead and pick up this book, but if you're looking for more this is not the book for you. 

 

To be honest if the other book I was reading when I was reading this one hadn't been so bad I probably would have been more annoyed with its predictability.

 

Yours truly,

 

The Reader

Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly

This book was typical as far as a romance novel is concerned, but it was well written. Once I began reading it I couldn't put it down till I was finished. It actually captured my romantic side. Once you get past the weirdness and dangerous aspect of the situation you become tangled in this romantic fantasy web of meeting that person that is the right one for you. 

 

The story was quirky but not very believable in the since that you wake up in Las Vegas married to someone you just met and you can't remember anything of what happened. I guess it could and has happened in real life but how many times is the guy some handsome, rich hunk or the woman beautiful, smart, independent and what are the odds of that person being your sole mate. About a billion to one. However looking past all that and the true likelihood of that happening and just ride with the fantasy of it all. 

 

I was able to visualize certain real life actors playing the parts in my mind. See their expressions and hear their voice saying the words. That tells me that these characters were well written. They became three dimensional in my imagination. 

 

At first I got caught up in Conner's romantic attention, then it began to get overwhelming, then very annoying and I started to wonder if this guy was for real. It is not until of course close to the end where realization of why he's acting the way he is and why he is so afraid of love. I wasn't sure what I thought of Megan at first. You can see right of she has trust issues but waking up in that situation who would be trusting of the other person. However, the reason for her trust issues comes out and you can also understand why she is afraid of love.

 

With that said I enjoyed reading the book and was happy just being taken away from reality for a while.

I read this book very much in the context that it was written, as a romantic "what if" fantasy.

Please remember that all reviews are strictly my opinion.

Till the next book,

The Reader

Free is always GREAT

Ok let's admit it. We ALL love FREE! I currently have over 1000 kindle books and they were all free. Don't get me wrong I like supporting authors but I actually have been unemployed since February 2013. So I'm sure you can understand why I have been leaning more toward the free books than the ones I have to pay for. However, my wishlist on Amazon keeps growing in anticipation to when I'll be able to makes some purchase of Kindle books. As far as physical books I am keeping those to a strict minimum. My family and I have plans for changing our life style and becoming Travel Trailer Residents which I am writing about in my other blog Our Life as Travel Trailer Residents. I won't go into a long talk about it but you are welcome to drop by and check us out on the blog. 

In my short journey in 2013 I learned how to continue getting things I want without having to pay an arm and a leg for it. I've found a way to fund my book love by putting in just a little time and effort. In April 2013 I signed up on a site called Swagbucks where you can watch videos, take surveys, play games, shop and complete special offers among other things and you can even search the web through the site and earn. You can earn swagbucks that you can redeem for gift cards or cash through a PayPal account. That is where I can earn Amazon gift cards to purchase non free books for my Kindle. Isn't that cool. They also have cards for Barnes and Noble and iTunes. So if you think about it you are still supporting authors but with free money (well not exactly free because you have to put a little work into it to get it but you get the gist).

You may be wondering if this site really does pay out for doing so little, well to date I have earned over 38,000 swag bucks which translates to roughly just under $400. No I am not making a living off of Swagbucks but it helps having it for the little extras in life and have redeemed them for gift cards to Walmart, Starbucks and to my PayPal account. So if you would like to check out Swagbucks and sign up for an account I have posted here a link for a referral from me. Or you can find a link at the top of my side bar. I still prefer to have some books in physical form like my cook books and books on sewing, quilting, and tailoring among others so if you go through my referral link I can get credit for you when you earn swagbucks during a search. 

As I move along in this blog I will be posting up sites or links where you can go to find bargain and free books for your Kindle. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any Nook books for free except for samples on the B&N website. So most of my information will be for Kindle, but if I come across some thing for Nook I will certainly share it.

So until my next post

The Reader