In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

 

 

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

3 Stars

When I was a little girl, all I ever wanted to do was be a lawyer. In my twenties, I was on a path to become a corporate lawyer living in Manhattan, so I could relate to the heroine, Dannie Kohan. She's a complex person. She has goals and a vision for her future. Most people would describe her as anal. She has every aspect of her life under complete control. Until she doesn't.

Although it takes the whole book for her to come to the conclusion, we can see right away that she isn't happy with her fiance. She falls asleep one evening and has a dream that changes her entire life.

The story features her best friend and the intricacies of their lifelong friendship. Even though they are complete opposites, their relationship makes for a great story full of love and heartbreak.

This book has excellent characters that are moving and draw the reader inside the story.  The hero and heroine are taken through trials and discoveries throughout the book.  I do not understand the whole numbers and counting time thing at the beginning of the book.  This is the only time it's mentioned and we are led to believe that the heroine continuously acts this way.  Perhaps this element could have been introduced into the story later or in a less prominent manner.  

The story has a flow problem.  It feels somewhat choppy throughout the book.  There are places that do not connect and parts of the story that feel out of place.

Book image courtesy of publisher.

The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins

I give this book 5-stars.  The story is wonderful.  The characters are quirky and interesting.  It was so easy to fall in love with the town as well.  I cannot wait for the next book in the Dove Pond series.

The book has good flow and is easy to read.  There is no profanity that I can remember.  There are also no intimate scenes.  This book is perfect for your grandmother who loves to read, but doesn't like sex in her books.  My grandmother tears out the pages, so you have to be careful with grandmothers.

I must, however, join the ranks of confusion regarding the title of the book and the main character.  The title leads us to believe the book is about the book charmer of the town.  The story is about a completely different character.  The book charmer does have a story line in the book, but she is hardly the heroine of our story.  I must admit, Ive never been  faced with such a dilemma.  I do sense that her story will continue on and culminate at some point in the series.  Perhaps the book should have been called The Dragon Lady instead?

Daisy, Momma G and Grace will grab your heart in this debut novel of the Dove Pond series.  Here's hoping we see more of Sarah and Blake in the books to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review The Book Charmer.

To Ruin a Gentleman by Shana Galen

To Ruin a Gentleman by Shana Galen
#1 of The Scarlet Chronicles series
5/5 Stars

The entire time I was reading this book I kept thinking about our heroine, Angelette, the Comtesse d'Avignon. She was so brave! Recently widowed she lived alone to begin with. The Scarlet Chronicles' series starts with this book, and with the beginning of the French Revolution and the story of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Angelette is somewhat naive starting out, but once she realizes the truth about the revolution her courage shines through. She is forced to leave her home and go on the run. The strength she exhibits is phenomenal. She also refuses to leave her country without helping whomever she can.

Our hero, Hugh Daventry is in France often to transport wine. This time he has heard of the unrest in Paris and stops to meet Angelette at the request of her family. He persists that he must return to England before the uprising of the French citizens. She will not leave with him and no matter how many times he tries, he cannot make himself leave without her.

I liked this book, but in my opinion, the heroine stole the show! Although this book was written as a novella, it never felt like it while reading. The story was well written and the characters were full of depth. I cannot wait to see what happens during the rest of the series. I cannot remember reading many novels that include the Revolution and Scarlet Pimpernel. 
 

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover is the second book in The Rules of Scoundrels series. The four gentleman of the series own The Fallen Angel, a notorious gaming hell. This book is excellent. The characters are inviting, witty and full of spunk. There is electrifying chemistry between the hero and heroine. The hero is known as Cross. The heroine is Lady Phillipa Marbury, or Pippa.

This book is extremely sensual and contains many racy scenes. The book flows well and the language is acceptable. Easy to read and full of mystery, you will not want to put it down. Definitely Regency-era romance at it's finest. Looking forward to reading book three in the series.

Who is that Masked Man?

Unmask Me If You Can is the 4th book in Shana Galen’s Survivor series. The book is about Lord Jasper and Olivia Carlisle. I am at a slight disadvantage because I haven’t read the previous three books in the survivor series, but I plan to fix that immediately.

This is an excellent book. It dives right in to the action from page one. Lord Jasper is a bounty hunter and has been hired by Olivia’s family to find her. He is attacked while searching for her. Olivia has fled the ton and London after being ruined by a duke. She’s living in a seaside village hiding from everyone. She has an illegitimate son and he ends up finding Lord Jasper after he has been attacked. Lord Jasper brings mystery with his masked face and Olivia discovers the true man hiding behind the mask.

After the two grow closer and Lord Jasper heals from his attack, they return to face all of London. Turns out her father has secrets too. Olivia and Lord Jasper enlist plenty of help to save the day and ruin the duke! A happy little family of three awaits them at the end of this charming story.


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