Romance Book Reviews

Review: A Bus Ride Home by Tidimalo

This debut novel by South African writer Tidimalo is part romance, part chick lit, but takes a unique approach to both genres. The story is framed by a hiking trip, and that trope comes up again and again throughout the novel. The story begins with the protagonist, Tlotlego (we do not learn her surname until late in the book), catching a bus to the starting location of a week-long hike. The story itself is told through a series of flashbacks, including several that feature other hikes involving Tlotlego’s friends, family, and lovers.

The flashbacks can be a bit confusing at […]

2014-05-05T21:14:58+02:00December 19th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , , |

Review: Monster by Ben Burgess Jr.

This first novel by poet and spoken-word artist Ben Burgess, Jr. chronicles the love life of Ken Ferguson, a young man who responds to being dumped by a self-centered, materialistic girlfriend by giving up on love and instead devoting himself to pursing as many meaningless sexual conquests as he can manage—and he manages quite a dance card. Ken starts out as a very nice guy, but as he tries to keep himself from feeling any emotion, seducing and bedding women becomes almost a game to him. He gradually turns into a very different sort of person, the monster in the […]

2019-01-22T17:49:12+02:00June 16th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , , |

Review: Girls Love Travis Walker by Anne Pfeffer

Anne Pfeffer, the author of Girls Love Travis Walker, is working in a relatively new niche in publishing, the New Adult genre. New Adult novels are aimed at readers from ages 18 to early-20s or so, and tend to feature characters of the same age in situations common to college students and/or people who are just beginning to create lives independent of their parents. (I think even younger readers would enjoy this book, too, but be warned that the language and sexual content might be a little more than some parents of younger teens are willing to condone.) Though Pfeffer […]

2019-03-05T12:51:35+02:00May 24th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

Review: The Whaler’s Bride by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold

Love isn’t always perfect, but for those who have felt it, knows its power. Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold’s novel, The Whaler’s Bride, is a love story that conquers all, even death. Mary Lee and Lucas had a marriage most people would envy. When they were together all could see how much they loved each other. Once when they stayed at the Billingsgate Motel for their fifth wedding anniversary they forgot to pack up their clothes and left them. All that matter when they were together was being together. Everyday life didn’t matter. Love mattered.

After forty years of marriage, Lucas succumbs […]

2013-01-04T13:47:52+02:00January 4th, 2013|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Cancelled by Elizabeth Ann West

Cancelled by Elizabeth Ann West has some problems, but it is a quick, easy read that often contains enough intrigue to keep a reader skimming through the pages. It’s the story of Johnathon, a twenty-seven-year-old robotics engineer who has finally started a relationship with his best friend and business partner, Alexis. But then Kellie, a one-night stand from his past, shows up and announces that she is pregnant with his baby. Johnathon must figure out what to do about Kellie and Alexis while also dealing with work concerns and family drama.

The novel is very dialogue-heavy, giving it a sit-com […]

2014-05-09T21:38:31+02:00October 9th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Embraced by Darkness: Sacrifices by Tarah L. Wolff

As far as romantic epics go, the story of Sacrifices, book one in the Embraced by Darkness series by Tarah L. Wolff, is as good as Rhapsody. I started reading this novel with the hope that it would prove even better, and in some ways it succeeded, but in many, many other ways, it failed . . .

The story of Sacrifices unfolds as it follows the lives of four female characters: Osondrous, Jezaline, Karalay, and Constance. They all have some gift that makes them special. The first three women are leaders of the Human species, known […]

2014-05-19T21:43:00+02:00April 17th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |

Review: Raising Rufus by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold

Raising Rufus: A Maine Love Story by Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold is about a couple in their sixties who choose to leave their hectic lives behind in New York to live in their dream retirement home in Maine along the coast.  Gus and Maria Sundergaard have survived forty years of marriage and their relationship has been full of love and devotion.  However, Gus has kept a couple of secrets that cause discord in the relationship and Maria senses that there are issues but is fearful to push for answers.  To complicate matters, Gus struggles with depression, which frightens Maria.

The couple […]

2014-05-19T22:28:56+02:00January 11th, 2012|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: |
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