Review: ‘Falling for Chloe’ by David Stearman

Length: 160 pages (approx.)
Genre: Romance / Contemporary Romance

This book was previously titled ‘HOT’.

I have awarded this book 4 stars.

Synopsis: A total life do-over, that’s what Jake needs; a chance to unmake his past mistakes. Because in his zeal to fulfill his beloved dream of wealth and fame, Jake lost Chloe, the one he loved above all else. First he betrayed her. Then came the drugs. And in the real world, opportunities to undo things like that just don’t happen. Or do they? Could a paparazzi-induced traffic accident actually provide an opportunity for Jake to restore his ruined life? Set against the glitzy backdrop of the recording business, Falling for Chloe tells the story of a young man’s dream to restore the dream he lived before his dreams came true.

Review: Narrated by the protagonist, Jake, Falling for Chloe gives readers an insight into the music industry – both good and bad!

I enjoyed reading this. To begin with, I liked Jake as a character. As the story went on, I was interested in how far Jake would push himself and his friends before everything crumbled around him. It was also interesting to see what lengths Jake would go to in order to obtain the fame he desires. Very thought provoking! I wonder how many artists do this?

I enjoyed the creative way that Jake came up with to turn his life back into what he wanted. I would recommend this book.

★★★★ – A story about the highs and lows of being famous. Creative and thought provoking. I would recommend this.

Where to buy:
Amazon UK (Kindle)
Amazon US (Kindle)

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Review: ‘Fakers’ by Meg Collett

Genre: Romance / Contemporary Romance
Length: 250 pages (approx.)

I have awarded this book 4 stars.

Synopsis: Kyra Aberdeen is a Youtube sensation. Her bubbling personality and fresh beauty capture the hearts of millions each week through her videos. But she’s just faking it. Because beneath the surface is a simmering darkness that threatens to pull Kyra under some days. She masks her depression with a sunny smile and bright laugh. When Kyra moves to Canaan Island and buys her deceased mother’s childhood home, she is hoping to confront the lurking darkness that haunts her every step. But life never goes according to plan, and when Kyra meets her grumpy contractor, Hale Cooper, it seems he’s not going to make things any easier for her. Yet Kyra is drawn to him, to a man whose every emotion plays across his face as he feels it. But she’s never let herself get too close to anyone before, and she finds herself in uncharted waters.
If she lowers her guard and allows herself to love Hale, will the darkness creep in too?

Review: Despite dealing with the topics of suicide, self-harm and alcohol abuse, this was a quick, fun read. On the whole, Collett’s writing flowed nicely and was easy to follow, but I did feel that sometimes the dialogue was a bit flat – conversations with sentences starting “it is not good”, “i did not know..” and “I am sure that..” just felt a little wooden to me.

The characters in this book were great and very believable. Most of them had problems they were working through that they didn’t want anyone else to know about, which made them more believable. I particularly liked the character of Kyra and felt that she was quite relatable in a lot of ways. A young woman trying to discover who she was, she makes a friend for life and falls in love in the process.

Without giving anything away, this book has a happy ending that I thought suited the book perfectly. If you’re looking for something light-hearted but more substantial than a typical Rom-com, this is definitely the book for you! Highly recommended!

★★★★ – A heart-warming romance dealing with difficult subjects and overcome those difficulties. Highly recommended!

Where to buy:
Amazon UK (Kindle)
Amazon US (Kindle)

Review: ‘Passport to Happiness’ by Debbie White

Genre: Young Adult / Romance / Coming of Age
Length: 156 pages (approx.)

I have awarded this book 4 stars.

Summary: To escape the often lonely and boring reality of living in a small rural town, Jessica finds comfort in reading about the many places that exist beyond her small corner of the earth. When she joins the State Department and travels abroad looking for adventure, she gets more than she imagined was ever possible. Passport to happiness is a story of strength and determination, while exploring new places, but it’s also about finding love and happiness – no matter where you hang your hat.

Review:  If you’re after a light read with a happy ending and injected with little life lessons, this is the book for you.

I really liked Jessica’s character and really felt her vulnerability. This story gives a personal account of Jessica’s journey from childhood to adulthood and the little life lessons that she learns along the way. I liked the way that White included the odd sentence about how Jessica would learn from that experience later in life. I found this to be really effective.

White effective wove in Jessica’s feelings with about her mother and how much she missed her. I also felt the respect that Jessica felt for her mother and how grateful she was for the values that she instilled in Jessica.

The descriptions that White used were beautiful. It really felt like I was in the different parts of the world with Jessica. I also really liked the people that Jessica encountered and found them also to be believable.

I sometimes felt that there was something wrong with the dialogue and sentence structure. I can’t exactly place why I felt this, but I had to re-read parts of the book. For this reason I have awarded this book 4 stars. It didn’t hugely affect my enjoyment of the book, so I would still recommend it.

★★★★ – a light read with a happy ending, great descriptions and believable characters.

Where to buy:
Amazon UK (Kindle)
Amazon US (Kindle)

Review: ‘Under the Winter Sun’ by Carrigan Richards

Genre: Young Adult (YA) / Paranormal / Romance
Length: 350 pages (approx.)

This book is part of the Elemental Enchanters series.

I have awarded this book 4 stars.

Summary: When the previous battle leaves all of the Enchanters powerless and broken, Ava distances herself from everyone. Her closest friends have been kidnapped and she feels useless. All she can feel from Peter is guilt because he could not protect the coven so Ava learns to hide her emotions in order to keep her thoughts at bay. It’s taking more time than she expected for her strength and powers to return and she sinks deeper into a depression. Once Ava and her coven gain their powers back they start their journey to Caprington to defeat Havok and save their friends. She must choose her allegiance or risk losing everyone she loves.

Review:  I enjoyed reading this. What Ava had gone through in the first two books of the series doesn’t compare to what she faces here. It was interesting to see how the Enchanters dealt with the aftermath of the events in the second book and there was certainly a lot happening. The twists and turns and certain events left me feeling as confused as Ava and I greatly enjoyed the development in Ava’s love life. My only complaint would be that, while I understand that the author was leaving scope for further books, I would have liked the ending to have been developed a little more, as it felt like it ended a bit too abruptly for all the build up it had.

★★★★ – Exciting and fast-paced with lots of twists and turns. However, ending felt a little abrupt in my opinion.

Where to buy:
Amazon UK (Kindle)
Amazon UK (Paperback)
Amazon US (Kindle)
Amazon US (Paperback)

Review: ‘Hybrid’ by Vanessa Wester

Genre: Paranormal Romance / Young Adult
Length: 321 pages (approx.)

I have awarded this book 3 stars.

[Hybrid is Book 1 in the Evolution trilogy.]

Summary: Stephen Thorn has no trouble settling in during his first week of university. Having been at boarding school since he was eight years old, why should he? Happy to keep to himself, he is not interested in making friends. However, when he runs into Caitlin – literally – he decides that she is definitely one person than he wants to know. Due to a tragic event, Caitlin takes a break from university and Stephen is left alone. Waiting for Caitlin’s return, Stephen has a chance encounter with a girl named Ingrid that will change his life forever. What does he learn that will have this effect? Read to find out.

Review: It took me a while to get into this book, especially as the prologue felt completely unrelated to begin with (though it became clearer with later events). About half way through I found myself interested to know how the story would pan out and eager to learn more about the world that was being described. For the most part, I enjoyed the world that Vanessa Wester has created, though I have to say that I did find some parts to be unbelievable and over-the-top, and other parts occurred too quickly without enough explanation. For this reason, I have given this book a rating of 3 stars.

I feel that, most of the time, Vanessa Wester did a good job of weaving background information into the plot, though there were also parts that felt a bit clumsy to me. On the whole, the characters were well developed and the dialogue was believable, though I did struggle to believe some of the actions of the characters. Although there were parts that did not work for me, including the twist at the end, all in all I found this to be a promising debut novel and an interesting concept.

★★★ – a promising debut novel and an interesting concept. Unfortunately, I found some parts to be unbelievable and without enough explanation. Character actions were also a little unbelievable at times. 

Where to buy:
Amazon UK (Kindle)
Amazon UK (Paperback)
Amazon US (Kindle)
Amazon US (Paperback)

Review: ‘A Cry from the Deep’ by Diana Stevan

Genre: Romance / Suspense / Historical
Length: 300 pages (approx.)

I have awarded this book 4 stars.

Summary: After a bad experience, Catherine Fitzgerald, an underwater photographer, is reluctant to dive again. However, when her old job comes calling, she is drawn back into the world that she used to love. After purchasing an antique ring, she becomes troubled by nightmares and she feels that she has no choice but to give in and see where the journey takes her. Will she find the answers she seeks? What do the nightmares mean?

Review: This was a pleasant read. I found Catherine to be a likeable and believable character and was interested to know how she was going to react to each situation. The story was well written and I found myself desperate to know more.  I felt that the writing flowed nicely and felt engaging; so much so that I read the book over the span of two days. I greatly enjoyed the elements of history tangled into the main storyline. My only issue with the book was how quickly Catherine forgave Daniel and how quickly she came to trust him again. Also, while she did seem to feel guilty during the book, she didn’t during the events at the end, hence the four stars.

I will be looking for further books by this author in future.

★★★★ – Well written and believable. I enjoyed the elements of history woven into the main storyline. Highly recommended.

Where to buy:
Amazon UK (Kindle)
Amazon US (Paperback)

Review: ‘Pie Girls’ by Lauren Clark

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 338 pages (approx.)

I have awarded this story 4 stars.

Summary: Pie Girls tells the story of Searcy Roberts, spoiled rich girl who married her high-school sweetheart and left her small home town for the lights and excitement of the big city. However, when her husband quits his job and asks her for a divorce, she has no where else to go except home. When her mother falls ill, she’s thrust into managing the family business – only to discover that the beloved bakery is in danger of closing its doors forever. Searcy quickly hatches a plan to save her mother’s creation, but is it enough?

Review: I really enjoyed reading this. The characters were well written and engaging, and the story was interesting. I enjoyed the baking parts of the story as I bake myself, and thought that the recipes included at the back of the book were a nice touch. I enjoyed watching Searcy grow out of the spoilt rich girl that she had grown into while married and into the beautiful, helpful young woman that is a valued member of the community. I also liked Luke.

While it could be said that there is nothing outstanding about this book, it is a wonderful light-hearted story that is perfect for reading on a cold, wet afternoon. The story is uplifting and the characters, particularly Searcy, are well developed. A perfect read if you want to cuddle up with a mug of hot chocolate and forget about things for a while!

★★★★ – a wonderful light-hearted story with well written and engaging characters. Highly recommended. 

Where to buy:
Amazon UK (Kindle)
Amazon US (Kindle)
Amazon UK (Paperback)
Amazon US (Paperback)