Book Review of My Sister's Intended (Serendipity Book 1) by Rachael Anderson

Rachael Anderson is one of my favorite authors, and while I haven't loved everything she's written, she consistently puts out great books. My Sister's Intended did not disappoint. Prudence, who totally does not match her name, is suspicious of her sister's intended fiancee after she sees him making eyes at another woman and overhearing them planning to meet. She goes to intercept what she thinks is a tryst (while also gathering research for her romance novel). Of course, she's totally wrong about him, and unintentionally captures his attention instead. I loved that this was about a lovable headstrong heroine, but she didn't do reckless thing after reckless thing and somehow weasel out of the consequences as I've seen in many regency novels lately. This has long been a pet-peeve of mine. She loves her sister and the conflict felt real. Definitely a recommend from me.

My Top Ten Favorite Books for 2017

I've always loved top ten lists, so why not make one? Here are my top ten favorite reads from this year, in alphabetical order, since I can't pick among faves.


10. All's Fair in Love, War, and High School by Janette Rallison



I love all Janette Rallison's YA books (with the exception of Son of War, Daughter of Chaos, but that's a whole other post). They are funny, easy to relate to, and with flawed, but lovable characters with hilarious insight into life. This one is no exception.


9. Beyond the Rising Tide by Sarah Beard



This is a YA romance book, but also a book about the afterlife, regrets, being a hero, survival guilt... so much to think about. Really enjoyed this.

8. Edgewood by Karen McQuestion



This is a YA Fantasy series about teens that develop powers. And yes, that's kinda been overdone, but the characters are an interesting group and I have to say, book 2 was amazing. The relationship between Russ and Nadia is very unique and seeing things from different character perspectives really changed how I felt about the characters in book 1.


7. House of Oak 1-5 by Nichole Van



You're going to want to read all five, might as well get the boxed set. Nichole Van seamlessly intertwines a contemporary romance novel with an Austen-like regency novel. Each can be read as a stand-alone, but they work better if you read in order.

6. Isabella and the Slipper by Victorine E. Lieske



I got to beta read this, and I have to say this hit the sweet spot of using a fairy tale to tell a compelling YA love story.

5. Love and Fat-Free Cheese by Crissy Sharp



This is both a satisfying clean romance and a suspense mystery wrapped in one. Really loved this book.

4. Moss Forest Orchid by Shari L Tapscott



I'm still a little miffed that this ended in a cliff-hanger, but I really, really loved all the adventure and romance and fantasy elements like pocket dragons. Everything Shari L Tapscott writes is amazing.

3. P.S. I Like You by Kasie West



Kasie West is like the queen of YA. This one is especially fun because it's a passing notes, mystery admirer kind of story.

2. The Princess Fugitive by Melanie Cellier



This is another book where the main character was an unlikable side character in a previous book, until she gets her own story and you learn about her past. Full of adventure and clean romance.

1. The Student and the Slave by Annie Douglas Lima



This was another beta read and a great culmination to the three book series. This is YA, but otherwise hard to categorize in that it's alternative reality with no magic. And about martial arts. Definitely different than what I write or usually read, but engaging all the same.

Fate's Arrangement by Megan Elder Evans

Fate's Arrangement is about a noblewoman who more than anything else, wants to continue her work as a midwife, performing c-sections in a time where everyone else thinks she's barbaric. This book is not for the squeamish as there are several childbirth scenes and sword fights and such. Tastefully done, but realistic. The adventure and romance in it are both excellent. I really enjoyed this and haven't read anything else quite like it before.

I received an early copy from the author and wanted to write a review.

Moss Forest Orchid (Silver and Orchids Book 1), by Shari L Tapscott

A book with magic and dragons is a little out of my usual reading genre, but the heroine in this is so feisty and fun that I was drawn in. After an investment gone wrong, Lucia is determined to make back the money and pay off her business partner/best friend, Sebastian. Even if it means dealing with monsters, pirates, and exploding plants. Sebastian is swoon-worthy throughout, so I was a little annoyed to find the book ending on a cliff-hanger. I will probably read books 2 and 3 through KU, but I had gone in hoping those were separate stories set in the same world, since the world-building in this is so good.

P.S. I Like You, by Kasie West

I'm turning into a gushing fan of Kasie West. This one started a little slow. Lily hates Chemistry, so when her drawing/creative writing notebook gets banned from class, she writes in pencil on her desk and is amazed when someone leaves a response. It's not too hard to take a guess as to who her mystery man might be, and yet that doesn't take away from the fun of the book at all. Kasie West still manages to throw in some surprises and made me laugh out loud until the end. A definite recommend.

Scoundrel in Disguise, by Shaela Kay

What a fun regency romance between two unlikely people. Sarah was a bit too naive and flaky for my taste, but she turned out to be a well-rounded character and I enjoyed her story. This makes me want to read the first book in the series - although it works perfectly as a standalone too. The first book is called A Heart Made of Indigo.

I received a free copy of this book and chose to write a review about it.

House of Oak, Books 1-5, by Nichole Van

Yep, I read all five. This is a series that takes the best of Jane Austenish regency novels and the best part of contemporary romance novels and puts them together, with time travel! Thanks to a portal in the cellar, lots of romance ensues with difficult choices about which time period they should live in and whether or not they can give up everything else for true love. The romance is swoonish, but definitely clean and I really can't decide which book I loved best. I recommend them all. The first one is offered for free quite regularly, and the rest are 3.99 for Kindle.

Honest and for True: (The Adventures of Lee and Bucky Book 1) by Jane Lebak

This writer has a quirky, refreshing, hilarious writing style and I was immediately drawn in. Lee is a person who is comfortable in her skin, she just can't tell anyone about it, thinking they won't understand her. And then she meets a guy she wishes she didn't lie to. Oh, and she has a guardian angel. Definite recommend. 2.99 for Kindle.

To Warm a Wintered Heart, by Deborah M. Hathaway

Charlotte Rosebury, a friendly and kind eligible lady of means, meets Gabriel Worthington, a grieving man who has closed off his heart to love. After the death of his elder brother and father, he cares for his matchmaking mother and their estate. He wants nothing more. His mother, of course, wants nothing more than for him to fall in love and marry.

This had an interesting premise and I enjoyed the back and forth between the two characters, I just hoped for a little more growth on Gabriel's part. He is a hard character to like, and requires a lot of understanding for all the misunderstandings he causes. I enjoyed the side characters of Mrs. Worthington and Charlotte's boisterous younger sister. But the villainous side characters who live near Mr. Worthington were a little over-the-top and Gabriel did very little to protect Charlotte from them.
Regardless, the romance is sweet, clean, and swoon-worthy, and the style of the writing matched the regency period well. There were no grammatical errors to detract from the pleasure of reading.

Disclosure: I received an early review copy of this book.

Emma's Match by Franky A. Brown

I love Jane Austen and I have a love/hate relationship with Austen off-shoots, but I have to say, I LOVE this version of Emma. I was lucky enough to be an early reader of this novel and Emma Wallace is the perfect character. You want to simultaneously hug her and strangle her. She's adorably snobby, stubborn, and yet trying desperately to improve herself. And swoon alert - from the first few pages you'll fall in love with her neighbor and best friend, Will Knight. This modern take on a classic is funny, clean, romantic, and a definite recommend.

Lady Maybe, by Julie Klassen

Julie Klassen is one of those authors where you just buy her book off of name recognition. I saw this for 1.99 and needed something to read, so I bought it. And it started out intriguing, and different than other regency novels. The protagonist, Hannah, is a lady's companion to an unfaithful, and silly woman, but left for unknown reasons. She comes back, needing money and reluctantly agrees to join her employers at a new house. After a horrible carriage accident, there is a case of mistaken identity and she realizes she must keep up the farce to go rescue her baby who was left behind, being held by an unscrupulous caretaker until she can pay up.

At this point, things start getting ridiculous. I liked the unfolding mystery and the series of detailed memories that reveal different things, but the love triangle served no other purpose except to add unnecessary sexual tension. Both guys had a Mr. Rochester/Jane Eyre feel to them, which the author admitted was part of her inspiration for certain scenes. For me, it just made both guys unlikable. I kept thinking, is this really a Julie Klassen novel? It had Christian themes of forgiveness, grace, and truth, but the protagonist didn't match the ideals she claimed to want to live up to. I saw little growth in her character. She was not careful about her reputation or her amorous feelings, or how she allowed men to treat her, even after having just experienced the effects of having a child out of wedlock.

The setting was carefully researched and it was free from grammatical errors, but I did not really enjoy this and almost gave up on it about halfway through.

The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (The Four Kingdoms Book 1) by Melanie Cellier

In this fairy tale remix, The Princess of the Pea is closely tied to Cinderella, as in, Cinderella, now a mom, is obsessed with the idea of her son marrying a "real" princess. So she gets a pea from her fairy godmother and is told to put it under the mattress for visiting princesses as a test.

Pros:
This author is GREAT at world building and developing characters. She sets things up nicely for subsequent books and has interesting, real ideas of things that might have happened to these fairy tale people.

This is a perfectly clean, romantic read (sigh), which I love.

Cons:
This author (or her editor) needs to fall in love with the comma. There were several sentences that made no sense with the comma missing and I had to go back and re-read to understand. And I'm no grammar snob. Also, she loves adverbs, to the point that I started to count them as I read.

The point of view was almost always through the eyes of the princess companion (a.k.a. pea-feeler), but there were short stints from the point of view of the mom, the prince, the villain, etc. It was kinda weird. I would have preferred a back and forth with the princess companion and the prince.

2.99 or free to borrow. A definite recommend.

The Girl Who Heard Demons, by Janette Rallison

Adelle is starting over at a new school for her senior year, in a new state, living with her aunt. The reason: She hears demons, and telling people hasn't gone well in the past. She plans to lay low and keep it a secret, until getting wrapped up in protecting the cute quarterback, Levi.

I'm a huge fan, and maybe that's why this one threw me. I would say that while The Girl Who Heard Demons was entertaining and I devoured it in two days, this is my least favorite Janette Rallison novel. It wasn't too dark, but darker than I'm used to from her, with authentic teenage language full of innuendo. It was funny, but not as funny as I'm used to. And while it was a mystery, it wasn't too hard to figure out what was going on well before the end.

Buxton Peak: Who Is Ian Taylor?

Buxton Peak: Who is Ian Taylor? Ian Taylor is the main character in this LDS novel about a rock band and the choices that come when you have high standards in an immoral world with rabid fans and constant travel.  The author, Julie Spencer is my writer friend and her book releases today. I got to be an early reader on this project and Julie's writing is absorbing, drawing you in and leaving you wanting to read more. 2.99 for Kindle or free to borrow.

Darcy By Any Other Name by Laura Hile

I thoroughly enjoyed this alternate version of Pride and Prejudice which added a little bit of the supernatural with a Christian twist. The usual characters are stranded by a freak storm shortly after a freak accident, leaving Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy in a Freaky Friday swap. I loved the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy (as Collins). It was interesting who the author focused on, and what direction she took their characters. Ann, Lady Catherine's Daughter, in this version, fakes illness to avoid the pressure put on her by her mother. Collins is not only bumbling and miserly, but truly awful when left to limitless options of things he's never had the opportunity to embrace. I was super annoyed with Charlotte Lucas, and I would have preferred more of Mr. Bennett's wit. However, I love many of the aspects added that were well researched and allowed me to fully immerse in the story and time. At 453 pages, it's a little on the long side. It took me several days to finish and I have to admit, I lost some sleep. Recommended. 4.99 for Kindle.

Tidal Patterns, by Rachelle Paige

Tidal Patterns is about two workaholics with troubled pasts who vie for the same events job on the island they live on. I actually liked the work conflict better than the romance aspect. Mark and Lizzie spend a lot of time thinking about each other, with little going on between them other than a few very short conversations at first. This is clean, but aimed at adults. A nice, light read.

Third Daughter, by Susan Kaye Quinn

This fantasy/steampunk romance was very unique, and I give it props for that. Lately, it seems like I have a hard time finishing anything I start reading (at least for enjoyment). I've been swapping critiques a lot, so sometimes it's hard to turn off the editor and just live in the book.

Strangely, I loved the book up until about three-quarters through. Then it got a little too steam-punkish for me, and also, I was super frustrated with the princess's choices. She's one of those characters that constantly has to learn the hard way, but then the hard way miraculously becomes the easy way. Regardless, it was a clean, fun, adventurous novel and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Since this is book one of The Royals of Dharia, it has an introductory price of 99 cents. The other books in the series are 3.99

Looking for Home, by Elle Fredrix

I received a copy of Looking for Home in exchange for an honest review.

M McCallister has been running from her past for so long, she has no one and no where to call home. Even her first name is an embarrassing reminder of a childhood without love or structure. But she needs a place to stay while she saves up money for her business, so she calls on her sister, who used her good looks to marry up. The last thing she expects is to meet the family her sister left behind in ruins, or to have them let her in.

This was a very sweet romance and I enjoyed reading it, getting the perspective of both M and Jonathan as they learn to trust each other, despite their different, but equally screwed up, pasts. As for the romance, I'd call it clean, but steamy. Recommended for adults who love a good romance. 3.99 on Amazon.

The Firethorn Crown, by Lea Doue

I've read lots of versions of the 12 dancing princesses. This one stood out to me for two reasons.

1. The underground prince was very well done, being moody and handsome and mysterious, but a fully developed character that made you at times sympathetic towards him and at other times mad at him.

2. Finally, someone added a much needed detail: A mother of 12 daughters who's a little bit off her rocker for never having a son. He died at birth.

Retelling this fairy tale has its obvious challenges. How do you distinguish between 12 daughters so the reader knows who is who? This book was above average on that.

The main character, Princess Lily, is the oldest and is strongly encouraged to make up her mind and marry already. The scheming around that is a fun element of the book. Sometimes you want her to be a little smarter with her choices. Her love interest is a great character and I enjoyed the friendship and backstory that unfolded with that.

The beginning of the book was a little confusing. It took me about half a chapter to figure out what was going on. Give it time. It's a good read.

Very clean and romantic. I borrowed this with my Kindle, or 2.99 to buy.

All the Way to Heaven, by Becky Doughty

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

All the Way to Heaven is a about college student Anica Tomlin who learns the hard way not to date her college professor. She runs away to Italy for a much needed getaway.

I really loved this book. The side characters all felt real and were well rounded. Everything about Italy made me feel like I was right there and was described and woven in with the plot so I wasn't skipping past descriptions or getting bored. The romance was very satisfying. I'm normally leery of love triangles, but this was well done and added to the fun. This was clean, but aimed at adults. I didn't realize that it was part of a series until I looked it up on Amazon. It felt like a stand-alone to me. 3.99 for Kindle.