Her Best Match: A Romantic Comedy (Best Girls Series Book 1) - Review

Ok you guys, or should I say you girls... or actually, hey ya'll, this book is the shizznit!

If you like romance you will love this book. If you like feeling frustrated at someone through almost an entire story, you will love this book. If you like happy endings, you will love this book. If you've ever had hopes that one day a handsome, kind, generous billionaire would fall in love with you, you will definitely love this book. If you want a book to make you FEEL, then you will love this book.

Seriously, buy this book!

Anne Best is a widow and mother of two. She's startled to be invited to interview for a job in New York as an executive assistant. She feels out-classed and over-aged as she sits in the waiting room looking at all the eager, young candidates. When her name is finally called, she nervously enters the interview room to see a gorgeous older man sitting there. Then he opens his mouth.

Her temper flares and she tells him off, ready to go back home to Texas and call it all a waste of time. But he hires her. He's not as bad as first impressions would seem and Anne becomes determined to find him a match (matchmaking being her hobby) to the detriment of everyone and everything else. 

You will want to slap her, but you'll be rooting for her the whole time.

I laughed, I cried a few times. I LOVED Gram. If a certain something had gone differently with Gandalf (buy the book if you want to know) I would have been devastated. I couldn't put it down. 

CAVEATS:

Now, if your'e on Amazon you'll see a couple of 2 star reviews. I was shocked but I read them. I actually don't disagree with their points. 

Point 1: The book is a bit long for the story. It's hard to whittle it down as an author after pouring your heart and soul onto the pages for months or years. I do think this could do with some paring down. As far as grammatical and spelling errors, there were a few but not so many as to be distracting. I've found the same number of errors in books from the big publishing houses. Not a big deal.

Point 2: Getting frustrated with Anne and her internal dialogue. I literally wanted to choke her out sometimes. She does over-think EVERYTHING and Steven does have to coddle her. But let me ask you this, don't you know somebody who's like that? I sure do! They exist.

Also, if you've read romance before you know that it's very formulaic - in a good way. Frustration is par for the course. It's all about delayed gratification. Greater frustration and buildup means more satisfaction at the end. Right ladies? ;)

If you're an "A" type personality you may not be able to deal with Anne. It's worth it though. 

Point 3: Character development lacking. Well, yes and no. I think we have go back to realizing that this is a lighthearted romance, not a character-driven drama. The author even labeled it as "Romantic Comedy" in the title! 

As romances go it's always the same, super hot non-conceited woman finds herself in situation with super hot misunderstood man. Stuff happens. They finally hook up. The end.

REASONS WHY, IN SPITE OF CAVEATS, YOU SHOULD BUY & READ IT:

1. No need to brush up on penis euphemisms or synonyms. It's very PG-13 and I, for one, appreciate that. It's very satisfying without the smut.

2. It made me feel. For me, that's the whole point of reading. They aren't always pleasant emotions but a book has to make me feel something. I felt many different emotions with this book.

3. It's well written. This is not a plot or character driven novel; it doesn't need to be. Romance is all about the tease. They almost hook up, but then they don't. He's about to profess his love, and someone interrupts. She almost realizes her feelings, but then she gets distracted. Good stuff. I actually yelled at my phone/Kindle, "If you don't stop interrupting him and let him speak I'm gonna smack you!!" 

4. It's light-hearted and makes you feel good. It's sweet. 

5. I couldn't put it down. I have a 3 month old and a 5 year old. Had to juggle life a bit to get this read, but I read it every chance I got! While nursing my infant, while walking around, while cooking, while my 5 year old did his homeschool work... I couldn't wait to get back to it.

I think I've given you enough information to make an informed decision, and I hope you think it's worth a shot. It really is a very good book. 

As an author myself, I would request that if you do read this book please leave an honest review. It helps us become better writers. Thanks for reading my long-winded review!

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Curse by Dale Furse - An Honest Review

I have to give this book 3 stars. 

I want to make one thing clear, the book's premise is very good. I enjoyed the story line. I just couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to. It reads like a first draft or maybe a screenplay. It may just be that I don't connect with the author's style, but in my opinion the book could do with being run through a few beta readers or an editor. There were parts of the story that seemed disjointed, the dialogue felt not-quite-right, the character made decisions in a split second without putting you through any internal struggle or process. The transitions from one situation to the next were very sudden. I felt a bit slapped around and several times I had to re-read a few pages after going, "Huh?" Maybe it's just me.

It was kind-of like one of those old wooden roller coasters - fun, but it whips you around and you're a bit dazed after. I think that with just a bit of work this book could definitely be 5 stars. Or a great movie. I'd totally watch it if it were made into a movie.

The book is about 3 (and more) alien races and the main character, Nell, is a blend of 2 of them who looks human and lived on Earth until just before her 17th birthday when the "changes" would begin. The story line is very original, the different races were intriguing. I thought it might be an allusion to the horrors of racism. This story follows Nell through her coming of age and the machinations of those who would destroy her. Good stuff.

Like I said, I liked the premise but the crafting of the story could use some tweaking. Definitely worth the money I paid for it on Kindle. It's a fast read, too. Read it in about 5 hours. If the author does some tweaking I would love to check it out and revise my review. I'm an author too, and I hope my critiques are not too harsh and can help in making a good book great.

Enter to Win the First 2 eBooks in The Legends of Rune Trilogy!

In anticipation of the release of The Beauty of Ashes next month, I'm giving away the first two ebooks in the trilogy!

The raffle begins NOW and ends Monday, September 1st. 

All you have to do is go to my facebook page:

http://www.fb.com/apriladamsnovel and click GIVEAWAY

Of course, no purchase is necessary. There will be 3 lucky winners! You can enter once a day. Be sure to tweet and retweet it!

Become a fan on Goodreads!

Good luck to all of you!

   

Review of Impervious (The Ascension Series) by Heather Letto

I give it 4.5 Stars! Heather Letto did an excellent job with this book!

This is my first dystopian read outside of The Hunger Games. I think this one is WAY better!

Impervious is a glorified bomb-shelter-made-city 40 years past it's prime. The inhabitants should have been released back top-side but corruption keeps them trapped in their sunless, artificial, self-centered lives below ground. Most of them are happy that way, but there are a few who buck the system. They are the Rebels. Since no one lives past 40 (with a few exceptions) because of a disease, these rebels are kids - teenagers who are actually in their "mid-life" stage. It's the hope and idealism of youth vs. a drearily elitist system of oppression and illness.

It's not a world I'd want to live in, unless I could be top-side. This book makes you think. It could happen! That makes it so compelling.

This is the first book in The Ascension Series and I will definitely be buying book 2 and beyond! I read this in one day. I like the characters but felt that just a little more time developing them, glimpsing into their head space, would have just amplified an already great book.

I can't wait to see what happens in the next one!


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Review of Mystic Tea by Rea Nolan Martin

I give it 4.5 stars! Rea Nolan Martin did a wonderful job with this story.

A Satisfying, Feel-Good Read.

This book is more about character development than plot - not that it doesn't have plot! It does! That's why I like it so much. The characters are real and raw and the plot is surprising in places. What I most appreciate about it is that it colors faith with the many shades of doubt, uncertainty, indefinably, and inexplicable hope that anyone with faith invariably experiences. As a woman of faith I appreciated it very much. I don't know anything about Catholicism, which is the faith presented in this book, so I don't know if it's a fair representation. What I do know is that it was presented in a respectful and honest way that made me like the nuns at the monastery very much.

I loved Arielle and her irreverence. The colorful chorus of nuns makes the monastery feel like home. It was a place I wanted to go and maybe why I finished the book in 2 days! I didn't want to put it down. It's definitely a book written for women to appreciate but it could be enjoyed by an open-minded man.

It blends mysticism with Catholicism in a seamless way. There are some very deep thoughts and musings presented from the different women. It's a very philosophical book. Mother Augusta and her mystic teas draw together the plot threads and bundle them up, steep them in mystery, and get served piping hot at the end. There are no cliff-hangers or unresolved plot-lines. The end is satisfying. I cried a bit... not gonna lie. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a satisfying read and a feel-good ending.

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